


Crashing In To You

by Trufreak89



Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Desert Island, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:35:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28415484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trufreak89/pseuds/Trufreak89
Summary: The top students of the prestigious Fort Salem academy board a private plane expecting to travel halfway around the world to compete in an inter-school competition. When the worst happens, the teens find themselves stranded on a deserted island, fighting for their survival while they wait for a rescue that might never come.Every cloud has a silver lining, though, and for Raelle that comes in meeting Scylla - a girl who just might be worth falling out of the sky for.
Relationships: Abigail Bellweather/Libba Swythe, Gerit Buttonwood / Hilary Saint, Gerit Buttonwood/Tally Craven, Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn
Comments: 67
Kudos: 237





	1. Chapter 1

  
“Alright, listen up!” Anacostia Quartermaine stood in the lobby of the private airfield and addressed the group of students sprawled all over the furniture. “The ten of you are Fort Salem’s best and brightest. You are representatives of the school and I expect you to act accordingly!” 

Anacostia glared at each of the students in turn, her gaze lingering on a blonde slouched in one of the chairs with her feet up on the coffee table. Raelle Collar promptly sat up and lowered her feet to the ground. 

Anacostia continued. “It is a privilege to attend our annual inter-school contest with our Australian counterparts, and you have all earned your place here, either through your achievements in sports or academics. Do not screw this up, people!”

“Well, some of us earned our place.” Across from Raelle, a young black woman sneered while looking at a short curly-haired girl. “Others bought it.” 

“Bite me, Bellweather!” Libba growled back at her. 

“Enough!” Anacostia snapped at both of them. Libba was a Swythe and the grudge between the Swythes and the Bellweathers was almost as old as Fort Salem school itself. 

“Now, you’re all flying out there now and myself and Principal Alder will fly out later today with your classmates who are lucky enough to spectate. Of course, we’ll be flying coach, while y’all get to take a private jet.” 

The teenagers whooped and hollered. Fort Salem was the most prestigious private school in Massachusetts and could afford luxuries like chartering private jets at three in the morning to whisk their students to the other side of the world for inter-school sports and academia contests. 

“Representatives from All Hallows will meet you at Brisbane airport to shuttle you to the hotel and supervise you until I arrive. “The rooms are as follows.” Anacostia glanced down at the list in her hand before rattling off the names.

“Bellweather and Craven, Moffat and Swythe, Tippet and Buttonwood, Collar and Ramshorn. Hillary, you’ll have a room to yourself until the rest of your peers arrive. You too, Byron.” 

“Who’s Ramshorn?” Raelle frowned, looking to her school dorm mate for an answer — even though she knew the names of the other girls so that only left the brunette sitting next to Byron.

Raelle recognised her from a couple of her classes and around school, Fort Salem wasn’t that big, but she’d never learned her name. “Scylla.” Tally answered with a nod towards the girl in question.

Tally and Abigail had been paired together, and she’d been lumped with a stranger. At least she was cute. Raelle caught her eye across the room, and Scylla gave a nod in acknowledgment before turning back to her phone. 

Anacostia ignored the fact they were all talking amongst themselves and spoke over them. “Your rooms are assigned. No switching, no mixing, no drinking and no teenage pregnancies. Is that understood? I said, is that understood?” 

A chorus of yeses came from around the room after she repeated the question. Satisfied, Anacostia gave a stiff nod. “Alright then, get your asses on the plane and get yourselves a good night’s rest for the start of the games tomorrow. Good luck out their, people!” 

With their luggage already loaded, the teens filed on to the private plane with their carry-on bags in hand. The inside was luxurious, with its plush cream carpet and white leather seats. There were ten in total, five rows of two, one on each side of the plane with a narrow aisle between them.

A flight attendant in a sharply pressed navy suit greeted them as they boarded. Porter and Byron were the first ones on board, claiming the two back seats. 

Raelle took the next seat on the left, right next to a window. She pulled the blind down before settling. “Why are you sitting so far back, Collar?” Abigail scoffed, knowing full well why she’d chosen the seat.

“The back is the safest part of the plane in a crash.” Raelle repeated the line she’d fed her room mates for months, ever since being chosen for the inter-school games. 

Abigail rolled her eyes at her while dragging Tally towards the front. Tally shot her friend a sympathetic smile. The rest of the group followed them, finding their own seats and shoving their bags into the overheard storage bins. 

Across the aisle, Scylla caught Raelle’s eye with a smirk. “I take it you’re not a big fan of flying?” 

“It’s my first time.” Raelle admitted, and Scylla’s smirk widened as she shot her a wink.

“I’m sure it will be painless.”

Raelle felt her cheeks warming as no doubt a blush spread over them. She bit back the instinct to reply with ‘that’s what she said’ and went with, “Thanks.”

The flight attendant made his way to the front of the cabin after sealing the doors and made the general safety announcement, asking them to turn off all electronics and to fasten their seat-belts while the sign above the cockpit door was lit. 

Raelle switched off her iPhone and let her earphones dangle down the front of her shirt with a sigh. Tally had told her the worst part of flying was taking off and landing. Raelle dug her fingers into the leather armrests, hoping for it to be over quickly. She’d been terrified of flying for forever and had done everything she could to get out of the trip.

The plane started taxiing to the run way, the wheels rumbling and the cabin shaking. Raelle squeezed her eyes shut. “Hey, Collar?” She opened them again and found Scylla leaning over into the aisle, offering her hand. 

Raelle extended her own arm and took Scylla’s hand with a sheepish smile. She didn’t even know this girl. “Thanks.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Scylla wore a lopsided smirk. That on anyone else might have been condescending. On her it just looked cute. “Oh, and statistically, flying is safer than driving. So don’t worry about it, beautiful.” 

Raelle felt herself blushing again. It was becoming something of a habit. “Right. I’ll bear that in mind… Thanks.” The nose of the plane lurched up and Raelle’s stomach dropped. She clenched her eyes shut again and felt Scylla squeeze her hand. 

It was going to be a hell of a long flight.

* * *

Raelle woke with a start, her eyes popping open as an icy chill washed over her body. All she saw was water. She coughed and spluttered as another wave washed over her; the water going in her mouth and up her nose. She floundered, trying to push herself up and slipped off whatever she’d been lying on. 

The shock of being fully submerged in the water brought her around fully, sweeping away any lingering tendrils of sleep. She fought the current to make her way back to the large piece of metal she’d been lying on; a piece of the plane. 

Lying there, her chest heaving with each breath and blood trickling into her left eye from a gash above her eyebrow, Raelle desperately tried to claw back her memories of what happened. All she could recall was Scylla’s hand squeezing hers at takeoff. 

Remembering she wasn’t alone on the plane, Raelle frantically looked around for signs of anyone else. Bits of wreckage littered the surrounding water, but Raelle couldn’t see a single other soul. 

“Hello?” She called out, cupping her hands together around her mouth to make the sound carry. “Hello? Is anyone out there? Tally? Abs? Anybody?” 

Raelle was met with only the sound of lapping water in response. She let her hands fall to her lap and took a few deep breaths. Raelle couldn’t be the only one left. She just couldn’t be. 

She wiped the blood out of her eye with the back of her hand and began looking around again. There was land in the distance, and it was getting further and further away as the tide swept her out. 

Raelle slipped off the wreckage, at best guess a part of a wing, and into the icy water. She was a strong swimmer, but the tide was stronger and Raelle had a head wound; and possible concussion. It felt like she was just treading water and not getting any closer to the shore. 

Then she spotted it. 

One of the seats from the plane was floating up ahead of her, and someone was still strapped into it. Ignoring the burning in her arms and legs, Raelle pushed herself on until she swam up beside it. 

Raelle felt a surge of relief swell up in her chest at the sight of someone else, but it quickly popped when she realised the other girl wasn’t moving. “Scylla?” She called out, but got no response. 

Clinging to the side of the chair with one hand, while she kicked out to keep herself afloat, Raelle fumbled with her other hand to check Scylla’s pulse. 

It was weak, but it was there. Her chest was rising and falling slowly. Another good sign. She was alive, which meant Raelle wasn’t alone. She let out a hollow laugh, “So much for safer than driving.”

Raelle thought dragging herself towards the shore was hard, but it paled in comparison to the sheer exhaustion of getting both her and Scylla there. The other girl still hadn’t come round, despite Raelle’s best attempts to wake her. 

Airplane seats were designed to float on water, which was one point in Raelle’s favour as she pushed the chair through the water from behind with Scylla still strapped into it. Her entire body still ached from the exertion, though. 

Raelle was a champion diver - it was what had bought her entry into the prestigious Fort Salem school - but the short physique that made her such a great diver also meant endurance in the water wasn’t her strong suit. 

Not for the first time, Raelle wished Tally or Abigail were with her. Both were great swimmers. Tally in particular, given that she was captain of the girl’s swim team. 

Raelle tried not to think about her friends, it only brought up a bubble of panic over what might have happened to them. Her sole focus had to be making it back to dry land. She’d break down over her friends later. With blood still dripping into her eye, Raelle pressed on. 

She was within spitting distance of a crop of rocks when she heard someone calling out. “Hey! Hey! Over here!” Raelle paused, treading water as she clung to the back of Scylla’s seat and looked around. “Rae! Over here!” 

She spotted Gerit’s head bobbing on the surface of the water by one of the smaller rocks. Someone else was draped over the rock, with smears of red running down into the water. Raelle’s chest tightened at the thought that it might Tally, but as she got closer, she realised the hair wasn’t red. It was Hilary. 

She lay over the rock, unmoving, with a large gash in the top of her thigh. “Help us!” Gerit called out. “She’s hurt!” His head disappeared under the water as a wave lashed against the rocks. He reappeared, spitting and spluttering. He was having a hard time staying afloat. 

“Gerit, swim towards the chair!” Raelle ordered, shouting to be heard over the crashing of the waves. 

“I can’t…” His head went under again. “I can’t swim! I can’t swim!” Raelle just couldn’t catch a break. Swimming as close to the rocks as she dared with Scylla in the seat, she reached out for Gerit and pulled him towards her. 

He floundered, swallowing water as his head went under a third time before he finally caught hold of the airplane seat. “It floats. Just hold on!” 

“H-Hilary! We can’t leave her…” 

“I’ve got her!” Said Raelle, already swimming towards the rock Hilary lay on. “Just start kicking towards the shore! I’ll catch up! Go!” Gerit looked uneasy about it, but did as he was told. Holding onto the back of the seat, he started kicking, slowly making his way towards the shoreline. 

Raelle pulled herself up out of the water and onto the rock beside Hilary. The muscles in her arms screamed out in protest, clenching up with exertion. “Hilary.” She shook the other girl awake. “Hilary, I need you to wake up!” The other girl groaned, finally coming around. She screamed as she tried to lift the leg with the gash in it. 

“Easy! Easy, I’ve got you!” Raelle tried to tug her shirt off, the soaking wet fabric clinging to her body like a second skin. Once she wrestled it off, she tied it around the top of Hilary’s thigh, using it as a tourniquet. 

The other girl whimpered, biting back a scream through clenched teeth. She and Raelle weren’t friends, but the blonde had a begrudging respect for Hilary Saint. She was made of powerful stuff. 

“We need to get you to shore.” Raelle glanced around for any pieces of wreckage large enough to use as a float, but there were none nearby. 

“I can swim!” Hilary insisted, but her usual golden skin was ashen and there was so much blood on the rock and in the water. 

“Yeah, right!” Raelle scoffed. She wiped at the cut on her forehead with the back of her hand. The blood had clotted. “Can you ease yourself into the water and wrap your arms around my neck?” 

“Then what? You’re going to carry me on your back? You look worse than I feel, Collar!” 

“Thanks. Now, can you do it or not?” Raelle snapped. The truth was, she felt ready to drop. A niggling voice at the back of her mind was telling her to lie down and go to sleep. Raelle did her best to ignore it. 

She slipped back into the water, the cold vanishing any thoughts of going to sleep. Hilary followed her, splashing into the water behind Raelle before she wrapped her arms around her neck. 

It took every ounce of strength Raelle had left in her, but she made it to the shoreline with Hilary on her back. Gerit waited in the shallows for them and helped her drag Hilary up onto the beach. As the couple collapsed onto the sand, Raelle scrambled over to Scylla. 

She unbuckled the seatbelt from around Scylla’s waist and tried to rouse her again, holding her head in her hands. A dark red stain on the white leather caught Raelle’s attention. Scylla had a head wound. 

The hair at the back of her head was knitted together with blood. It wasn’t gushing, and the other girl was still breathing, so there wasn’t much Raelle could do for her. 

Raelle was exhausted and running on adrenaline and sheer will power alone. Her body screamed at her to curl up on the dry sand and sleep for at least a week, but her mind was on her friends.

“Gerit, did you see anyone else out there? Tally, or Abigail, or anybody?” 

Gerit shook his head as he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to join her, out of earshot of his girlfriend as he whispered, “We have to find Tally.”

Raelle nodded, squinting out at the ocean for any signs of life. “I’m going back in-”

“Wait! Over there!” Gerit grabbed her arm and pointed further down the beach, to where the front half of the plane lay buried nose first in the sand in the distance. 

Raelle didn’t wait for Gerit. She took off down the beach, finding one last reserve of energy as she tore through the sand. Gerit took a moment to check in on Hilary, who was lying sprawled out on the sand. “Go.” She sighed at him. 

Gerit - who was a track-star back at Fort Salem - caught up to Raelle in no time and overtook her with ease. He reached the wreckage of the plane first. The nose of the plane had hit the beach head on and the cockpit lay crumpled like a concertina. 

The tail part and one of the wings was missing, with the back of the fuselage ripped open as if someone had taken a can opener to it. Smoke poured out, making Gerit cough as he drew closer. 

Raelle caught up to him, chest heaving as she bent over double and fought for breath. “We have to get in there.” She coughed, the smoke catching her too. 

“Here.” Gerit pulled his sweater off and offered it to Raelle before pulling his t-shirt up to cover his nose and mouth. Raelle followed suit and tied the sweater over the lower part of her face before giving Gerit a resolute nod. They ventured inside. 

The fuselage was a mess, chairs were loose and knocked over, luggage littered the gangway and loose wires sparked overhead. Light poured through the windows, but the smoke and the obstructions made it difficult to navigate their way towards the front of what remained of the plane.

“Tally!” Gerit called out. “Abigail! Libba! Anybody?”

“Tal-” Raelle opened her mouth to shout but choked on the smoke, despite her makeshift face covering. She coughed and spluttered, leaning against one of the luggage bins. 

“Over here!” A voice called out ahead of them. 

“Abs!” Raelle shouted, stumbling forward down the aisle. She found Abigail kneeling on the floor in front of what had been the cockpit. The door was mangled and parts of the ceiling had come away. 

The overhead bin above Tally’s seat had come down, trapping her foot beneath it. Abigail was trying in vain to lift it on her own. “Help me!” She snapped at Raelle and Gerit. 

Gerit moved to help her lift the bin, while Raelle checked on Tally. Her eyes were closed, but she had a pulse. “Tally! Tal!” Raelle shook her shoulder and the other girl came around with a groan. 

“Ugh…”

“Tally! Tally, look at me!” Raelle cupped her friend’s face. “Are you okay? Your foot’s stuck, but Abs and Ger are taking care of it, okay? We’re all here for you… We’re all here.” 

“What happened?” Tally coughed on the smoke and tugged her shirt up over her mouth. 

“The plane crashed.” Said Raelle. “I’ll save my ‘I told you so’ for later.” 

“Thanks.” Tally let out a nervous laugh as Gerit and Abigail finally lifted the overhead bin and the sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air. 

“I got you, Tal.” Raelle reached down and pulled Tally’s foot out of the way before the others could drop the heavy metal locker. Tally whimpered, but stopped herself from crying out. 

“Tal!” Gerit surged forward and wrapped his arms around her, ignoring Raelle who perched on the side of her chair. Tally hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder. 

“Let’s save the reunion until we’re outside, people!” Said Abigail. 

“Wait, what about the others?” Raelle asked, climbing down from Tally’s seat.

“Glory dragged Libba out a while ago, I think we were the only four in here.” Answered Abigail.

“Hilary and Scylla are outside, further down the beach. We all landed in the water.” Said Gerit. Tally winced. Waking up in a crashed plane was bad enough, she couldn’t imagine the trauma of being sucked out of a plane and waking up in the middle of the ocean. 

“Alright, let’s take this outside. We can look for the others on our way out.” Abigail, a natural born leader, insisted as she ordered the teens outside. Gerit carried Tally, whose foot looked badly bruised and swollen, while Raelle and Abigail checked for other survivors on their way. 

Outside, away from the smoking fuselage, they found Glory and Libba lying passed out on the sand. Gerit gently placed Tally down beside Glory and she shook her friend awake. “Glory! Glory, wake up!” 

The smaller girl roused with a groan, rolling on to her back and shielding her eyes from the sun like a drunk with a headache. It took her a while to realise where she was, and when she did, she jumped up.

“Tally! Oh-my-god-I’m-so-sorry-I-must-have-passed-out!” She threw her arms around her childhood friend as she made her apology without taking a single breath. Tally reassured her they were all fine, while Raelle saw to waking Libba. 

There didn’t seem to be much physically wrong with the other girl, other than a few bumps and scrapes like the rest of them. Raelle shook her shoulder, and she came to with a start, bolting upright, almost smashing Raelle’s nose with her head. 

The blonde veered back, throwing her arms out in front of her, “Swythe, it’s me! It’s okay!” Libba’s eyes were wide and unfocused as they darted from Raelle to take in the surrounding scene. 

“What happened?” She asked, her voice shaky and her chest heaving. 

“Unscheduled stop.” Abigail answered dryly, crashing to the sand in front of the other girl. “The plane crashed, dumb ass!” Libba’s eyes narrowed on her rival as she balled her hands into fists.

“Give it a rest, Abs!” Raelle sighed, finally collapsing back on to the sand as her adrenaline rush crashed. She felt so tired she could sleep for an entire month. Her body ached in places she didn’t know existed and her muscles screamed at her worse than when she’d qualified for nationals at last year’s school diving championships. 

The sand was warm beneath her and the sun shone high overhead, but Raelle shook with the cold. Her hair and clothes were soaked through. She pulled Gerit’s sweater - also wet - away from her face and tossed it aside. 

Raelle could lie there in the sun all day, but now that she knew her friends were safe, her mind went back to Scylla. She should probably check on her and she would; as soon as she could get her body to comply. 

Raelle lifted her head and glanced around at the group. She counted six of them, with Scylla and Hilary that made eight. Raelle frowned. They were two short. “Hey, where are the guys that were sitting behind me?” She asked out loud, addressing no one in particular. 

Gerit and Tally shared a look before Tally answered. “Don’t you remember what happened?” 

Raelle shook her head. Her time on the plane was a blur. She had no idea how long they’d even been in the air. All she remembered was taking off, and Scylla holding her hand. She touched her fingers to the cut above her eye. It had finally stopped bleeding. “It’s kind of a blur.” 

“One of the engines blew.” Said Libba, sitting up beside Raelle.

“Then the plane just seemed to rip right open.” Added Gerit, his head hung low. “The whole tail half fell away. Yours and Scylla’s seats hung on by a thread, and then they were gone. I don’t know what happened after that-”

“You tried to go for Raelle, and Hilary went after you. You were both sucked out the plane.” Answered Tally, worrying at her lip. 

“Wow.” Raelle shook her head with a sigh. They were all lucky to be alive. Then it dawned on her. They weren’t all alive. “So Porter and Byron…” She didn’t finish her sentence. There was no need to. They were all thinking the same thing.

“What about the flight attendant?” Asked Glory. 

“He was in the back, too.” Said Tally. 

Abigail stood up and peered at the front of the plane. Half of the mangled cockpit stuck out of the sand, with the other half buried up to the windows. “There’s not a lot of hope for the pilots.” 

“I’ll check.” Gerit walked up to one of the windows still half visible above the sand and peered inside. The head of one pilot was smashed open like a watermelon and the other lay slumped over the controls, unmoving, his eyes wide open and staring at nothing. Gerit turned around and heaved. 

“They’re dead.” 

“Are you sure?” Asked Abigail, moving in to look for herself. Gerit held his hand up to stop her, wiping his mouth with the back of his other hand.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” 

The mood among the teens was already sombre, but news of the pilots’ deaths brought it even further down. Thick black smoke still billowed out of the fuselage. 

“We should move away from that. The other two are down the beach.” Said Raelle, dragging herself to her feet despite her body’s protests. 

The other teens did the same, with Gerit and Abigail helping Tally up. Gerit moved to pick her up, but Abigail interjected. “I got it, Buttonwood.” 

She slung Tally’s arm over her shoulder and they started walking towards the other side of the beach where Gerit’s girlfriend waited. He hung his head and shoved his hands in to the soaking wet pockets of his cargo shorts as he trudged along behind them. Glory and Libba followed suit. 

Hilary and Scylla were right where Raelle left them. Hilary was sitting up, Raelle’s shirt still wrapped tightly around the top of her thigh. The bleeding had stopped. She nodded at Raelle as the blonde reached them first. “Thanks, Collar. For what you did.” 

“Don’t mention it.” Said Raelle. She knelt down beside Scylla and checked her pulse again. It was much stronger than it had been. That was a good sign, even if she hadn’t woken up yet. 

Raelle wiped at the cut on her head with the bottom of her tank top. The light grey fabric came away red from dried, crusted, blood. She had no idea how long ago the plane fell from the sky, or if anyone was even looking for them yet. They had to get their priorities straight. 

“We should see to everyone’s injuries and then look for supplies, water, food, stuff like that. That gash on Hilary’s thigh is going to need stitched.” 

“I have a first-aid kit in my luggage.” Said Tally, surprising nobody. Her mother was a worrier. She’d been dead-set against Tally flying all the way to the other side of the world in the first place. 

Raelle glanced out at the horizon, debris from the wreckage and luggage floating on the surface of the water as one. She sighed. “It’s probably out there.” 

Raelle kicked off her shoes and unbuttoned her ripped wet jeans before she slipped them off. She tugged off her tank top and dropped it on top of her jeans in the sand, leaving her in her sports-bra and underwear. Swimming would be easier without her clothes sticking to her. 

Beside her, Abigail stripped off too. Tally started tugging her shirt over her head, but Raelle reached out to stop her. “You can’t swim with that ankle.” It was bruised black and blue and swollen to twice the size.

“But I want to help!” 

“Then stay here and look after Scylla for me, okay?” Raelle squeezed her shoulder as Tally gave a reluctant nod. Gerit wore an expression of guilt and shame as he caught Raelle’s eye. Glory, who couldn’t swim, wore the same one.

“I can help.” He offered, knowing full well he wasn’t a strong enough swimmer. Raelle shook her head. 

“The current is too strong. Me, Abigail and Libba will go out for the bags and anything useful we can find. That okay with you, Swythe?” Raelle asked. Libba looked a peculiar shade of green. 

She turned away and threw up, heaving her breakfast up on to the sand. Raelle winced. “Okay, just me and Abigail then.” 

“I can do it!” Libba insisted, wiping at her mouth with her sleeve and still hunched over. “Just give me a sec!”

“Tap in when you’re ready, Swythe. Come on, Rae.” Abigail tugged on Raelle’s arm. Raelle bit back a groan as Abigail broke out in a sprint towards the water. She was spent, but god knew how long it would be until someone came for them and her suitcase was amongst the bags floating out on the ocean. 

She followed Abigail with a reluctant sigh and Tally called after them — and that was Raelle’s relationship with her room mates summed up in a nutshell. “Be careful out there!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks, thanks for the comments and kudos for the first chapter! This is inspired by watching The wilds but it's not going to be the same - no weird social experiments, just the gang trying to survive on a deserted island. Thanks for reading!

  
Raelle trudged out of the water, dragging a suitcase through the wet sand and up onto the beach next to the pile of luggage she, Libba and Abigail reclaimed from the ocean. Abigail and Libba lay on the sand beside the bags, breathing hard and utterly exhausted. 

Raelle bent over, struggling to catch her own breath. Her muscles were on fire and the blistering sun shining down on them wasn’t helping any. She’d already gone through a full bottle of water while retrieving the luggage and anything else that might come in useful, including the contents of the catering trolley. 

Raelle only counted nine suitcases, which meant there was at least one more out there. She’d recovered her own case early on, and her carry-on bag was still inside what was left of the plane’s fuselage. There was a bag of Cheetos inside that had Raelle drooling at the thought of them. 

She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and stood to go back in the water. Abigail caught her wrist. “Collar, give it up. We’ve got most of them.” 

Raelle shook her head. “There’s at least one more, and bottles and cans floating on the surface. I’m going back out there.” 

“God-damn stubborn Shitbird.” Abigail growled. She let go of Raelle’s wrist and moved to stand. Raelle shook her head again. 

“You’re spent, Bellweather. Let someone else play hero for a change. You too, Swythe.”

“Knock yourself out, Collar. I’m never moving again.” Libba lay sprawled on the sand, one arm slung over her eyes. “You’re wasting your time. A rescue is probably already on its way for us.” Libba sat up with a huff. She’d only joined in on the salvage effort because Bellweather had. 

Raelle wasn’t so sure. “It’s been hours since we crashed and there’s still no sign of the cavalry.” The other two girls fell silent, the reality of the situation dawning on them. 

Their flight took off early in the morning and it was already late afternoon. Why hadn’t anyone found them yet? They didn’t even know how far out they were, were they closer to Australia or the States? They’d all tried their cell phones and not a single person could get a signal, so where ever they were it was far enough out to leave them off the grid. 

Abigail slumped on to the sand with a defeated grunt, more willing to give up since her rival had thrown in the towel. “Fine. One more run, but be careful out there and don’t do anything stupid.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Raelle grinned despite feeling like she was about to drop. She had to keep going. She’d lose it if she let herself stop long enough to think about their situation.

Leaving Abigail and Libba behind, Raelle ventured back into the water. Raelle had always loved the water. Her momma called her a water baby. From the moment she’d been old enough to crawl she’d wanted to be in the water, be it a swimming pool, a lake or the ocean. 

Right then and there, Raelle would be happy if she never stepped foot in another body of water again. She fought against the current, her limbs feeling like lead weights as they cut through the water. 

Raelle gathered all the bottles and cans she found floating on the surface from the catering trolley in a gym bag slung over her chest. The last suitcase was nowhere in sight and the sun was creeping lower, casting long shadows over the water, so Raelle gave up and joined the others on shore. 

Gerit started a fire to help them dry off. Raelle sat in front of it with one of the complimentary blankets from the plane draped over her shoulders. The other girls - and Gerit - were all sprawled around fire too. 

Glory took stock of what they’d salvaged from the plane and the water, while Tally finished seeing to the wound on Hilary’s thigh with the first aid kid they’d retrieved from Tally’s suitcase — and a small sewing kit Glory’s mom packed in hers.

Hillary hissed as Tally tugged on the thread, making sure the stitches were tight. “Sorry.” The redhead apologised for the umpteenth time. The only pain pills they had for Hilary were some Tylenol. 

“It’s fine. Just keep going.” Hillary said through gritted teeth, her fists clenched at her sides. Tally did as ordered and carried on stitching the two sides of the deep gash together with shaky fingers. 

She and Hilary were hardly the best of friends. Six months ago Tally had started dating Gerit in secret, unaware that he was already dating Hilary. Worse than that, the couple were engaged. Both came from old money and their families were close friends. Being childhood sweethearts, the fact that Gerit and Hilary were to marry seemed like a full blown conclusion. 

Tally knew none of this until she’d caved and shared her secret relationship with Abigail, who came from the same social circles as the Buttonwoods and the Saints, and knew full well that Gerit was engaged to be married. Tally was heartbroken.

Abigail and Raelle had been ready to tear him apart when they found out how he’d played their friend — despite Gerit’s insistence that he hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. They’d kept him away from Tally in the months since. 

Tally wasn’t sure whether Hilary had any idea Gerit cheated, but she’d avoided the other girl like a plague since the truth came out. She felt Hilary’s gaze burning in to the top of her head as she finished sewing up her thigh.

Tally’s ankle was swollen and bruised, but there wasn’t much damage, despite being trapped in the wreckage. Tally had seen to Scylla first and wrapped a bandage around the wound on the back of her head. She was still out cold, lying on a blanket by the fire to keep her warm. 

The rest of them only had scrapes and bruises — except for Raelle, who had a gash above her eye. The water had washed away most of the blood on her forehead, save for the crusted blood keeping the skin knotted together.

“Your turn, Rae.” Tally took out another needle and heated it over the fire. It was all she could do to sterilise it. Raelle pulled a face as her room mate bent the sewing needle up like a fishhook. She hated needles at the best of the time. 

“I’ll pass.” 

“Sit.” Abigail, knowing how squeamish the other girl could be around needles, shoved Raelle down in front of Tally, keeping her hands firmly on the blonde’s shoulders.

“Really, it’s fine-” Raelle winced as Tally wiped at the cut with a wet wipe to clean it up and prevent infection. 

“Raelle, it might get infected!” Said Tally, frowning as Raelle tried to pull away. She cupped the other girl’s cheeks and scrutinised the gash. All the dried blood had made it look worse than it actually was. “You’re lucky, I can probably get away with using butterfly stitches.” 

“Let’s do that.” Raelle agreed with a sigh of relief. Tally took some sterilised wound closure strips out of a box in the first aid kit and applied them to the cut. 

“Big baby.” Abigail scoffed, but gave Raelle’s shoulders a reassuring squeeze before letting them go. 

“You’re going to have a kick ass scar.” Said Tally, looking on the bright side as usual. 

“Great…” Raelle didn’t share her enthusiasm. She rubbed at the scar on the side of her cheek, the result of a horrific diving accident a few years ago, and gave a heavy sigh. “I hope they send a boat to get us, because I am never stepping on a plane ever again.”

“You know the crash was a one in a million chance, right?” Asked Libba. “You’re more likely to be struck by lightening than have a plane crash.” 

“Thanks for that, Swythe.” Said Raelle, casting a glance up at the clear blue skies and looking for any hint of storm clouds. “I’ll take my chances with a boat, thanks.” 

“Shouldn’t someone be here by now?” Hilary piped up, Gerit sitting obediently beside her and doing his best to avoid looking at Tally. “How long were we even in the air?” 

“About ten hours, I think.” Glory was the one to answer. “All I saw before we went down was the ocean. We’re somewhere in the Pacific, but we could be anywhere. There are literally hundreds of islands. A lot of them uninhabited.” 

“Well, given the lack of a Starbucks, I’d say this is one of them.” Huffed Abigail. She wrapped her arms around her bare legs, shivering despite the fire. The sun was going down fast, and the temperature was following it. “We need to find some shelter until the rescue party comes.” 

“What about the plane? The smoke is gone and if it was going to blow up, it would have done it by now.” Said Raelle. Abigail agreed with her. 

“Good thinking. It’s covered on three sides and most of the seats are still in there. It’ll be warmer than spending the night on the beach. I’ll go check it out.” 

“I’ll come with you-” 

“Sit your ass down, Collar. You’ve done enough.” Said Abigail. She stood and left Raelle and the others to go check the condition of the fuselage. 

“I’ll go with her.” Gerit offered, standing after Abigail had already left. He looked like he’d rather be anywhere else than sitting between Hillary and Tally. Raelle would almost feel sorry for him, had it not been her friend he’d hurt. 

Deciding to make the most of being left behind, Raelle moved to check on Scylla. Her pulse was strong and steady, but she still hadn’t woken up. Raelle sat beside her and took the other girl’s hand in her own, the same way Scylla comforted her on the plane.

“I didn’t know you and Scylla were close.” Raelle jumped as Tally appeared behind her. She let go of Scylla’s hand as if caught doing something wrong. 

“Uh, we’re not. The first time I talked to her was on the plane. She, uh, she was nice to me.” 

“She’s on the debate team with me.” Said Tally, taking a seat beside Raelle and tucking her long legs underneath her. Raelle discreetly reached for Scylla’s hand again. It was stupid, but the last time she’d felt safe, before her world turned upside down, was holding on to this girl’s hand.   
“I’ve seen her around school. I think she’s in a couple of my classes.” Raelle admitted, the pad of her thumb running over the back of Scylla’s hand. It was strange that she’d been at Fort Salem for almost a year, and yet she’d never spoken to the other girl before. 

Raelle had won a scholarship to the prestigious school thanks to her diving accolades. She hadn’t wanted to leave her father on his own, but Edwin Collar had refused to let his daughter miss out on such an amazing opportunity.   
  
Dirt poor kids from the cession didn’t get offered full rides to a fancy prep school every day, and Edwin took every chance he got to remind Raelle of that. 

She’d kept to herself at first, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the children of senators and CEOs. Tally was one of the first friends she made, though that was mostly because they were room mates. Abigail roomed with them too.

Despite the hefty price tag to attend, Fort Salem rarely housed students in single rooms. Alder, the dean of the school, believed in a firm foundation of teamwork and unity, assigning students into dorms and referring to them as units. 

Abigail Bellweather, daughter of Senator Bellweather and a legacy in a long line of Bellweathers who’d attended Fort Salem since it was founded, had taken longer to warm up to Raelle. Despite their differences, though, they’d formed a strong friendship and Raelle had naturally gravitated into their social circle.

“She told me there was nothing to worry about when we were taking off. She held my hand until the seatbelt sign went out. That’s the last thing I remember.” Said Raelle. She forced a smile she didn’t feel. “I can’t wait for her to wake up so I can say ‘I told you so’.” 

Tally wrapped her arms around her best friend, seeing right through Raelle’s tough act, and holding her tight. “She’ll be okay. Scylla’s as tough as they come. You have to look after yourself, though. Have you eaten yet?” 

Raelle shook her head. Her chips were still waiting in her rucksack, but she was too tired to walk across the beach to the fuselage and get them. “Here.” Tally reached over to their small pile of supplies and handed Raelle a packet of peanuts and a can of soda. 

Raelle placed the bag of peanuts on the sand and opened the soda. The sugary drink was a welcome relief to her tired body. She chugged half of it, burping loudly afterward. 

“It’s not much.” Raelle bit the inside of her cheek as she looked at the pile of supplies they’d scavenged from the plane and the water. 

“Not for eight of us.” Tally agreed. Her expression brightened as she forced a smile, trying to lighten both their spirits. “But the rescue party will come soon, you’ll see! Anacostia is probably out there right now, flying a search plane as we speak!” Tally grinned, knocking her shoulder in to Raelle’s.

“Yeah, probably.” Said Raelle, her gaze fixed on Scylla. She looked pale, and her skin was cold to the touch. Raelle took the blanket that was draped around her own shoulders and draped it over Scylla.

Further up the beach, Gerit and Abigail were busy inspecting the plane. The fuselage was mostly intact, apart from the gaping hole where the back half and the left wing came off mid flight.   
  
What remained still provided more than enough cover from the elements, and the smoke from earlier had cleared, making it easier to walk through the plane. Six of the ten seats were still inside, with Scylla’s seat drying out on the beach outside. 

“We can make this work. Share the chairs to sleep on, build another fire outside to keep us warm through the night. We can do this.” Abigail nodded, her hands on her hips. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself almost as much as Gerit. Gerit nodded along in agreement, anyway. It was late afternoon, and they still had plenty of time for a rescue party to show up. 

The pair trudged back down the beach to let the others know the plane seemed safe to hunker down in. Those who could carried their suitcases and carry-on bags over to the plane, while Gerit gave Hilary a piggy back and Abigail and Raelle carried Scylla, using the blanket she lay on as a stretcher. 

Tally reclined one of the chairs for them to place Scylla on once they were back inside the plane. The other girl stirred and let out a quiet whimper as the back of her head touched the headrest. 

“Shh, it’s okay.” Raelle perched on the arm of the chair beside her, brushing Scylla’s hair back from her forehead. She was relieved to finally see some signs of life from the other girl.

Raelle had worried Scylla might never wake up. She draped a blanket over her, trying to make her comfortable, and Scylla’s eyes opened briefly. Raelle was taken aback by just how blue they were. She hadn’t noticed them during takeoff. “It’s okay, Scylla. You’re gonna be okay.”


	3. Chapter 3

  
“We need to build a second fire to keep us warm through the night, and we should keep the first one going as a signal too.” Abigail announced as she stood, dusting sand from the back of her jeans. 

It was early evening, and the daylight was quickly dwindling. It would be gone before long, and the fire Gerit made was already dying. 

“I’m going to find firewood. Anyone up for coming with me?” Abigail asked, glancing around the fuselage at the other teens. Few of them were in any fit condition to go wandering through the forest in the dark. 

“I’ll go.” Said Raelle, rising from where she sat by Scylla’s side. The other girl had been drifting in and out of consciousness for the last hour, but didn’t show any signs of actually waking. 

She was reluctant to leave her - Scylla was there for her when Raelle needed her, the least she could do was repay her kindness - but without a fire they’d all freeze through the night. 

“You’ve done enough, Collar. I’ll go.” Libba offered, surprising everyone. 

“Anyone else?” Abigail pursed her lips in distaste, but no other offers came. Libba was right, Raelle had already done enough. The blonde looked fit to drop. “Fine, Swythe will have to do. Try to keep up.” 

“Likewise, Bed-wetter.” Said Libba.

“Please don’t kill each other!” Tally called after them as the two girls left to go collect the firewood. Tally frowned and turned to Raelle. “They’ll be okay, right?” 

“Uh, sure.” Said Raelle, not sounding the least bit convincing.

Outside the wreckage of the plane, Abigail stalked in to the forest ahead of Libba, leaving the smaller girl trailing behind her. Undeterred, Libba pressed on, eventually catching up with Abigail and falling in alongside her. 

“We shouldn’t go too far. We could get lost, and god knows what’s lurking-” Libba abruptly stopped as Abigail turned and pushed her up against the nearest tree. The much taller girl ducked her head, claiming Libba’s lips with her own. 

Libba moaned in to Abigail’s open mouth as she stood on the tips of her toes and wrapped her arms around the other girl’s waist. They kissed until they were both breathless and had to pull apart. 

Abigail brought her forehead to rest against Libba’s with a sigh. “Are you okay?” She asked, her voice tender. Libba nodded. She brought her hands up to cup Abigail’s cheeks.

“A few bumps and bruises. Nothing major. You?” 

“Same.” Said Abigail. “I was so worried when Glory dragged you out of that plane… but I couldn’t leave Tally.” 

“I get it.” Libba kissed her again, her hands dropping to Abigail’s shoulders. 

The rivalry between their two families was almost as old as Fort Salem itself and the two of them had played their respective roles as bitter enemies since childhood, but that all changed towards the end of their Junior year — When too much alcohol and a war of words had somehow turned to a battle of the lips.

“We shouldn’t stay out here too long. People might get suspicious.” Said Abigail, hating herself for it. They hadn’t kept their relationship a secret for close to six months by being careless, but Abigail still hated that they had to skulk around in secret. 

“Suspicious of what?” Libba grinned, moving to kiss the side of Abigail’s neck. “That one of us might have finally snapped and killed the other? Just five more minutes…” 

“Hmmm.” Abigail sighed, ducking her head to kiss her girlfriend again. “We need to find firewood before it gets dark.”

Libba groaned, but let Abigail pull away. She was right. What little light penetrated through the canopy of trees was quickly fading. 

The pair pulled out their phones, using them as torches as they scoured the forest floor for sticks and dry brush, and anything else that might burn. Within twenty minutes the light overhead disappeared altogether, but the girls each had an armful of kindling for the fire.

There wasn’t enough to keep both going. The new fire in front of the fuselage would need to be their priority until they could collect more at daybreak.

They stole a few quick kisses on the edge of the trees before venturing back out on to the beach. Gerit had started a second fire by the fuselage with driftwood from the beach and some palm fronds. Most of the others sat gathered around it to keep warm, except for Scylla and Hilary. 

Abigail dropped the bundle she clutched at his feet with a grin. “Buttonwood, I’m never going to tease you about being a scout ever again.” 

“I’ll hold you to that.” Said Gerit. He took Libba’s bundle of sticks from her and added them to Abigail’s pile to feed the fire with. 

Libba slumped on to one of the large pieces of driftwood which Tally had arranged around the fire for them to sit on. The knots in the wood dug uncomfortably in to her thighs, though, so she sat on the sand instead, using the log as a backrest as she took a long drink from her water bottle. 

She did her best not to glance at Abigail as she carried on teasing Gerit. Abigail was flirtatious by nature, and part of their cover was acting like they were single, but that didn’t stop Libba’s green-eyed monster from rearing its ugly head. Even if she knew Abigail would never do anything with Gerit - she wouldn’t do that to Tally - it was hard not to feel jealous. 

Libba closed her eyes with a yawn. It had been a long day and her exhaustion was creeping up on her. A band of tension sat around her head, which felt like it might burst. She’d had a headache since the crash, when she’d been knocked out by Glory’s carry-on bag flying out of the overhead bin.

“Libba, you shouldn’t sleep with a concussion.” Glory shook her shoulder and Libba opened her eyes with a groan. They’d been roommates since freshman year and Libba considered the girl a friend, but she wasn’t going to let anyone tell her what she could and couldn’t do. 

“Didn’t they change that advice?” Tally, the only first-aider among the group, asked. She was met with a sea of blank faces and shoulder shrugs. 

“I don’t care.” Huffed Libba. “I’m tired and I’m going to sleep.” She stood up and disappeared into the plane without further argument. Abigail watched her go, biting the inside of her cheek.

“Libba’s right.” Said Tally. “We’re all tired, we should get some sleep.” 

“You guys go in, I’ll keep the fire going.” Abigail offered, stoking the flames with a piece of metal from the plane. 

“We’ll take shifts.” Said Raelle. Standing, she placed her hand on Abigail’s shoulder. “A couple of hours each, okay?” 

“Sure.” Abigail nodded. She had no intention of waking Raelle to take a shift. She’d damn near killed herself in the water earlier, pushing her body beyond its limits and saving not only their luggage, but Scylla, Gerit and Hilary too. If anyone deserved a rest, it was her. 

“I’ll keep you company.” Tally offered, in no real rush to join the others inside the plane — Not while Gerit and Hilary were still awake. 

Inside the plane, Glory and Libba settled in to one of the reclined chairs together, curled up under a blanket each. There weren’t enough seats to go around, so some of them would need to share. Gerit and Hilary lay together, with Hilary’s leg propped up on an inflated life jacket. That had been Tally’s idea, to help reduce the swelling.

Raelle couldn’t imagine how hard it was for Tally to care for Gerit’s fiance. She was a better person than her, that was for sure. Raelle wouldn’t have been able to carry on like everything was fine if she were in Tally’s shoes. 

She took one of the complimentary blankets they’d found in an overhead bin and wrapped it around her shoulders before perching on the armrest of Scylla’s seat. The other girl was breathing steadily, lying under a blanket of her own, and her skin was finally warm to the touch again. 

Scylla stirred as Raelle pressed a hand to her forehead. Her eyes opened wide, full of panic and confusion as she sat upright, pushing Raelle away from her. 

“Whoa, easy! It’s okay. You’re safe! Scylla, you’re safe…” Raelle caught the other girl’s wrists as she lashed out at her, clasping them firmly while she tried to reassure the panic stricken girl.

Her striking blue eyes softened as they focused on Raelle, and Scylla allowed the other girl to push her gently back against the chair. She winced as her head touched the headrest. 

Reaching up, she found the bandage Tally had placed on her earlier. It was tacky, blood having seeped through from her lying on it. Scylla frowned at the blood on her fingers before wiping it on her shirt.

“Where’s Byron?” She demanded, taking Raelle by surprise. That hadn’t been the first thing Raelle expected her to ask. She danced around the question, asking Scylla what she remembered. 

Scylla’s frown deepened as she tried to dredge up her memories of the flight. “Some kind of explosion…” Scylla shook her head. “It’s fuzzy after that.”

“Same.” Said Raelle. “We were both thrown from the plane before it crashed. We ended up in the water. You were still strapped to your seat.” 

“So how did I get here?” Scylla blinked, looking around the wreckage of the plane. 

“I got you ashore.”

“Oh… Thank you.” Scylla closed her eyes as a wave of nausea hit her. She opened them again, and they settled on Raelle. “But where is Byron?”

Raelle bit down on her lip, not sure how to break the news to her. “Is he your boyfriend or something?” She asked, drawing a choked laugh from the other girl. 

“No.” Scylla shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips. Raelle felt a flood of relief at her answer. Learning of Byron’s probable death would be bad enough if they were just friends, never mind dating. “He’s my brother, and very gay. Now, where is he?” 

Raelle’s bubble burst. She licked nervously at her lips, glancing over her shoulder for backup. Tally was much better at handling these kinds of things. “Uh…” 

“Raelle, where is he? Is he okay? I want to see him!” Scylla panic bubbled up again. She tried to sit up and had to grab on to Raelle’s shoulders as her vision swam in front of her. 

“Take it easy, you probably have a concussion. I’ll go find someone to help.” Said Raelle. She tried to stand, but Scylla grabbed hold of her wrists, eyes wide and glassy with tears. 

“Please, Raelle, I have to find my brother…” 

Raelle looked down, unable to hold Scylla’s desperate gaze. “Scylla, Byron was in the back of the plane… and we don’t know where that is… or if they’re alive.” She admitted in a quiet voice. 

“No…” Scylla shook her head, finally letting go of Raelle’s wrists as she took in the gaping hole where the back of the plane should have been. She covered her mouth in horror, unable to believe what she was seeing. “No, no, not Byron… Not him!” She buried her face in Raelle’s chest, her body heaving with heavy sobs. 

Raelle held her in silence, letting Scylla cry it out. After a while the other girl puled back and wiped at her eyes with the back of her sleeve. 

There was a steely determination in her eyes, just like when she’d held Raelle’s hand for take-off and told her it would all be okay. “You said we were thrown from the plane, right?” 

“Yeah.”

“So maybe Byron was? He could still be alive too. He… Wait, you said they?” In her grief, Scylla hadn’t thought to ask who else was missing and it had only just dawned on her.   
“Who else was in the back?” 

“Uh, the flight attendant and Porter.” 

Scylla grimaced and fell back against the chair. She clutched her head as a stab of pain drove through it. Fresh tears ran down her cheek. 

“Did you… were you and Porter friends?” Asked Raelle. Porter and Byron had seemed close. It would make sense that Byron’s sister was friends with Porter too. Scylla nodded stiffly, her gaze fixed on the large hole at the back of the plane. 

“I’m sorry… for your loss.” Raelle cringed even as she said it. She knew from experience the words meant little to someone who was grieving. She’d heard them enough when her momma died.

“They’re not dead!” Scylla said resolutely, gritting her teeth together as she sat up again despite the stabbing pain in her head. “Byron’s not dead! We’re twins… I’d know it if he were! He’s alive and I have to find him… Porter too.” 

“Okay.” Raelle agreed. It was clear there was no talking Scylla out of it. Raelle could hardly blame her. She was an only child, but Tally and Abigail were like sisters. If either of them had been in the back of the plane, Raelle wouldn’t stop until she found them; either way. 

“It’s dark out, and we have no idea how big this island is-”

“Island?” 

“Yeah, we crashed and nobody came and we can’t get any signal, so we figured it must be uninhabited. Like I said, it’s dark and we don’t know what’s out there. Plus, you’re hurt. We should wait until morning and then go looking.” 

“We?” 

“Yeah, I’ll come with you. First thing, I swear.” Said Raelle. Even if she thought Scylla’s search would be futile, she wasn’t about to let her go traipsing around a mystery island on her own with a head wound.” 

Scylla looked torn between accepting Raelle’s offer. “I can’t waste time waiting for morning.” 

Raelle kept pushing. “What would Byron want you to do? Would he really want you to go chasing after him in the dark and put yourself in danger?” 

“Yes. He’s an asshole like that.” Scylla managed a weak smile and Raelle chuckled. 

“He sounds like quite a guy.” 

“He is.” Scylla’s expression turned gravely serious. “He’s all I’ve got. He can’t be dead… He can’t be…” Another loud sob escaped her lips and Raelle climbed down off the arm of the chair to sit beside her, wrapping her arms around the other girl as she fell to pieces. She buried her face against Raelle’s shoulder as she sobbed her heart out. 

Raelle rubbed circles into her back, trying to calm her the way her mother used to calm Raelle when she was upset as a kid. “You’re right. He’s not, and we’ll find him. We’ll go at first light, I promise.”

* * *

“It’s okay, Buddy. I’ve got you.” On the other side of the island, Porter Tippet dragged his best friend closer towards the small fire he’d been able to build. The dry sticks popped and cracked as the flames licked at them. 

Behind them, the mangled wreckage of the back half of their stark white plane stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the lush greenery of the forest.

Porter shivered against the cold, pulling his jacket tighter around him before he tossed a few more sticks on to the fire. It’d been hours since the crash and Byron still hadn’t woken up. There was a deep gash on the back of his head that Porter wrapped up using the shirt off his back. 

He sipped at a bottle of water he’d found in the plane’s small galley. There was enough food and water to keep him and Byron going for a few days; but that meant nothing if Byron wouldn’t wake up. 

Porter sat beside his friend and dabbed at his lips with a wet cloth. “Come on, By.” He muttered, wrapping his arms around his knees. “You’ve got to wake up. Please.” 

Porter wiped at the tears in the corners of his eyes. He had no idea what happened to the others. For all he knew, he and Byron were the only survivors. The body of their flight attendant was still inside the plane’s wreckage. The poor guy’s skull cracked open like a cantaloupe.

Porter had woken up in the plane’s bathroom, the door jammed from the outside. When he’d finally fought his way out, he’d discovered the body of the flight attendant and had promptly puked up his in-flight meal.

Byron had been a lot luckier than the poor flight attendant. He’d made it to the jump seat used by the flight crew beside the galley and strapped himself in. He’d been conscious when Porter had helped him out of his seat and half carried him outside, but he’d passed out not longer after and hadn’t woken up again. 

Despite lying next to the fire, the other boy was cold to the touch. Porter needed to do something, and fast, or Byron might not survive the night. 

He ventured back into the wreckage, covering his mouth with his sleeve as he tried not to breathe in. The flight attendant’s corpse had not fared well in the tropical heat of the afternoon, and he was already starting to smell. 

Porter kept his eyes to the ground, refusing to look at the dead man. He sidestepped the puddle of his puke and made his way in to the galley. He found what he was looking for hanging on the wall and left with a plastic box tucked under his arm.

Returning to the fire, Porter sat the first aid box down in front of Byron and began rummaging through until he found what he was looking for. He ripped open the packet with his teeth and pulled out an extra large foil blanket. He wrapped Byron up in it like a burrito to keep him warm. 

“Don’t worry, Buddy. You’re going to be fine. You’ll see. Get some rest, and we’ll go find Scylla in the morning. I promise.”


	4. Chapter 4

  
Scylla couldn’t say sleeping in an airplane seat was her most comfortable experience, and that was without sharing it with another person. She woke with a start and someone else’s body pressed up behind her. For a moment she thought it might be Byron, and that everything from last night was all a dream. 

Turning her head, the small blonde girl she found sleeping beside her definitely wasn’t her brother. The sun was only just dragging itself over the horizon, and the weak morning light coming through the windows of the mangled plane shone around Raelle’s hair like a halo. 

She’d pulled Scylla out of the water when she’d been unconscious and unable to help herself. Scylla would be dead if it wasn’t for Raelle, but that didn’t make waking up with the other girl any less awkward. 

She peeled herself out of the chair, wincing as the pain in her head returned with a vengeance. “Hey, are you okay?” She felt a hand on the small of her back as she perched on the end of the footrest and turned to find Raelle awake.

“Yeah.” She said. “Just a headache.” 

Raelle rubbed at her eyes as she sat up, yawning. “Tally has some Tylenol. I’ll get you some.” Raelle glanced around the plane, looking for her friend and roommate. Tally wasn’t sleeping in any of the chairs. She frowned. “As soon as I find her.” 

“Thanks.” Scylla stood up slowly, her hand reaching for the wall to steady herself. Her head ached and her mouth was drier than the desert. 

Raelle followed suit. Her arms went over her head as she stretched, her sleeveless shirt riding up with them. Scylla looked away, but not before she got a flash of the diver’s well toned abs; and she’d thought Raelle’s arms were impressive. 

“Is there any water?” Scylla asked, her mouth even drier now. 

“Sure. We’ve got supplies outside. Tally’s probably out there too.” Raelle slipped past Scylla and led her out of the fuselage and onto the beach. 

Scylla blinked rapidly and shielded her eyes from the light as she stepped outside. The air was warm despite the sun barely being up, and the immaculate white sand suggested Raelle was right about the beach and the island being untouched by civilization. The clear blue water stretched out as far as the eye could see, disappearing over the horizon. 

It was beautiful, but also daunting at the same time. Scylla had never felt smaller in her entire life as she stared out at the endless ocean. She shuddered at the thought of waking up in the water alone. 

“C’mon.” Raelle tugged on Scylla’s wrist, ushering her over towards the fire. Abigail was sat beside it, facing the plane. She nodded at Raelle as she took a seat on one of the logs. Scylla did the same, her thigh pressing up against Raelle’s. 

“Have you been up all night?” Raelle frowned. Heavy bags framed Abigail’s eyes and she looked fit to drop. The fire was still going strong, though the sticks and fronds she and Libba collected the evening before were almost gone. 

“Tally was pretty useless on watch. She fell asleep before I did.” Abigail nodded towards Tally’s sleeping form, which was curled up on the sand only inches away from Gerit. “Gerit was supposed to be taking over after her.” Abigail rolled her eyes.

Raelle’s frown deepened as she leaned down and picked up a bottle of water from the pile beside her. She handed it to Scylla, who took it with a grateful smile. 

“That’s not happening again.” Raelle pointed between Tally and Gerit. 

Abigail snorted. “God, no! Tally isn’t going there, near death experience or not. I’ll build a raft on put her ass on it to keep her away from him if I have to.” 

“You are good in shop.” Said Raelle, grinning as she reached for another bottle of water. There wasn’t a lot left. They had enough for maybe two bottles for everyone. With the rising heat and lack of shade, they’d be lucky if it lasted them a day. 

“We don’t have much.” Raelle nodded at the dwindling pile of supplies. She took a bag of pretzels and tossed them at Scylla. The other girl tucked into them with vigour, her stomach rumbling at the smell of them alone when she opened the bag. 

Abigail took a sip from her own water bottle, her eyes lingering on the pile. She thought the same as Raelle. “I figured the cavalry would have been here by now. This shit isn’t going to last us.” 

“We need to find water.” Said Raelle. “Scylla and I are going looking for the tail section. We can keep a lookout for fresh water sources and stuff we can eat too.” 

Scylla crumpled up the pretzel bag and tucked it into her pocket. She remembered Raelle promising to search for Byron with her, but she didn’t expect her to keep it. 

“I can come too.” Abigail offered, but Raelle shot her down with a shake of her head. 

“You’re exhausted, Abs. You need sleep. Wake up Tal, she can mind the fire and Wonder-Boy can go look for firewood.” Raelle kicked at Gerit’s shoe. He stirred with a grunt and rolled over onto his side. 

“Are those our suitcases?” Scylla spotted the pile of bags lying under the remaining wing where Abigail and Libba had dragged them once they were out of the water. 

“Uh, yeah-”

Scylla didn’t wait for the blonde to answer. She darted across the sand, dropping to her knees and searching through the pile for her own. She pulled two matching purple suitcases away from the rest. One was hers, and the other belonged to Byron.

Scylla saw to the combination lock on her own and began rummaging inside. She came up with a pair of hiking boots. She’d packed them for Australia, hoping to get in some sight seeing around the inter-school competition.

Scylla kicked off her sneakers and pulled on her boots, lacing them up tight. Her combat pants were fine for a trek through the tropical forest, but her long-sleeved shirt already had her sweating. Scylla stood and pulled her shirt up over her head. She tossed it aside and started searching for something more suitable.

Over by the fire, Raelle dropped her gaze to the sand, doing her best not to sneak a look at the other girl while she changed. Across from her, Abigail shook her head. “Fucking gay disaster… Try to keep a lookout for water and don’t just ogle Ramshorn’s ass all day.”

“Bite me.” Raelle flipped her off with her middle finger and kicked at the sand, sending it flying towards her best friend. 

“Hey! Watch the fire, Shitbird!” Abigail scowled at her. She hadn’t stayed up all night keeping it going just for Raelle to snuff it out with her stupidity. 

“Do you need to change before we go?” Scylla asked as she rejoined the other two girls by the fire. Her eyes raked over Raelle while she tied her hair back, and Raelle felt her cheeks warming. 

“Uh, no, you’re fine. I mean… I’m fine. I’m good.” Said Raelle, tripping over her words while Abigail hid a snicker behind her hand. Raelle was already wearing her favourite boots and the board shorts and tank-top she wore would keep her from overheating during their search. 

Raelle picked up the gym bag she’d used for collecting stuff out in the water and filled it with a couple of bottles of water and some snacks. She added her and Scylla’s open water bottles too. “We’ll be back before it gets dark. Don’t leave us if a rescue comes.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Collar.” Abigail smirked, her expression telling Raelle otherwise. As much shit as they liked to give each other, the two room mates were like family. Abigail wouldn’t leave without her or Tally. “Good luck out there.” 

“Thanks. Keep Tally away from Gerit.” 

“Aye, aye Captain.” Abigail gave her a mock salute. 

Raelle grabbed a flannel shirt from her suitcase in-case it got cold and then set off with Scylla, heading further down the beach. The plane and the fire grew smaller and smaller behind them.

“So… Any idea where we should start looking?” Raelle asked. She didn’t bring up the fact that the other part of the plane could be at the bottom of the ocean. 

Scylla stopped and peered at the debris still floating out on the water, shielding her eyes with her hand. “We fell out over the water, and the plane crashed on the beach…” She mumbled, more to herself than Raelle. Raelle didn’t bother commenting. That just backed up her theory that the rest of the plane was in the water.

“Maybe the engine exploded over the island. The pilots might have done a u-turn over the water to get back to land and the back of the plane.” It was a stretch, but it was Scylla’s only hope.

“Can planes do u-turns?” Raelle asked. She wasn’t being sarcastic, it was a genuine question.

Scylla shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.” She turned her attention inland, peering at the hills in the centre of the island. “We should climb that big peak and look for signs of disruption in the forest. If the back half crashed somewhere on the island, we’ll see it. Plus, we can figure out how big this place is, and maybe spot some clean water.” 

“That’s as good a plan as any.” Raelle shrugged. She stepped aside and gave a flourish with her hand. “Lead the way.”

* * *

Back at their makeshift camp, Abigail stood up and stretched the kinks out of her back. Sitting hunched over the fire all night had left all her muscles knotted up like a pretzel. 

She kicked gently at Tally’s foot to wake her. The other girl stirred with a moan. “What… what time is it?” She sat up and rubbed at her eyes to get the sleep out of them. “Did I fall asleep?” 

“Yeah, about six hours ago.” Abigail huffed. 

“Oh, gosh.” Tally’s eyes widened. “Abs, I’m so sorry! Have you been up all night?” 

“Yeah, and now I’m going to sleep. I need you to watch the fire. Send Gerit to fetch more firewood. I don’t want you alone with him, Tal.” 

“I know, I know!” Tally held her hands up and shuffled further away from Gerit, who was still out cold on the sand. “Don’t worry. I’m not going there. 

“You’re damn right you’re not.” Said Abigail. She left Tally by the fire and headed inside the plane. Glory was helping Hilary to her feet when Abigail walked in. Abigail stepped aside to let them pass on their way out. 

That just left her and Libba inside the plane. Abigail glanced over her shoulder to check the other two girls were gone and walked over to the chair Libba was fast asleep in. 

She climbed on to it, straddling her secret girlfriend and kissing her awake. Libba took a moment to come round, her mouth moving against Abigail’s out of instinct. “Abs!” She snapped, pushing the other girl away when she opened her eyes and remembered where they were. Libba sat up and ran a hand through her tight curls with a sigh. “What were you thinking?” 

Abigail moved to the arm of the Libba’s chair. “I was thinking I wanted to kiss you.” She replied. 

“Anyone could have seen!” Libba looked around, making sure they were truly alone in the plane. 

“That’s the rush, babe.” Abigail grinned, leaning in to kiss her again. Libba gave in, kissing her back like it had been months and not hours since they last had the chance to kiss. 

“You look tired.” Libba said as they parted, cupping the other girl’s cheek. “Did you sleep at all?” Abigail shook her head and Libba frowned. “You need your sleep, Bellweather. You’re not a super hero.” 

“Really, I thought I was yours?” 

“Please…” Libba snorted, shaking her own head at her girlfriend. “You need to sleep, and that’s an order!” 

“An order?” Abigail repeated, moving to straddle the smaller girl again. “Since when do I listen to you, Swythe?” 

“Since I started making you cum, Bellweather.” Libba grinned, her hand cupping the back of Abigail’s neck as she pulled her in for a searing kiss. Abigail moaned in to her mouth, rolling her hips against Libba’s. 

“We should be in a hotel right now.” Libba sighed. “Kicking Glory out of the room, ordering room service… having sex in the shower.”

“Tease.” Abigail groaned. She dipped her head and bit at Libba’s neck. “You should know I’m not above sex on the beach.”

“Sounds fun, but risky.” 

“It’d be worth it… God, I want you so bad right now.” 

“Me too. I think it might be the near death experience.” Said Libba, dragging her nails along Abigail’s back under her shirt. “Wait for the rescue. We can spend the night in a hotel, celebrating being alive… after you’ve had some sleep.” 

Libba gave her girlfriend another kiss before she pulled her hands out of Abigail’s shirt and pushed her away. Abigail stood up with a pout. 

Libba climbed out of the seat and then pushed Abigail into it. The blanket beneath her was still warm from Libba as she pulled it over her. Part of her wanted to stay awake, just to piss Libba off - some habits died hard - but she could barely keep her eyes open. 

“You sleep. I’m going to find firewood.” 

“I sent Gerit, and Raelle and Scylla are out looking for the back of the plane. Fresh water too.” Abigail yawned. 

“Poor Scylla.” Libba shook her head. Her expression said she didn’t think they’d find the other alive. “Losing Byron and Porter at the same time. That’s rough.” 

“Porter?” Abigail frowned. “Byron I get, he’s her brother, but what about Porter? Are they close or something?” 

“Porter’s her boyfriend. Everybody knows that.” Libba said it like it should have been obvious. 

“Raelle doesn’t.” Abigail muttered under her breath. To Libba she said, “Do me a favour and keep Tally away from Gerit. You have my permission to tie her up if need be.” 

“Hmm, sounds fun, but I’d rather tie you up.” Libba teased her with one last kiss before giving her a stern look. “Get some sleep, Bellweather!” 

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Libba walked outside and over to the fire. Glory and Hilary sat around it, but there was no sign of Tally and Gerit. Libba asked where they’d gone.

“They went looking for firewood.” Answered Glory, while Hilary pulled a face. She didn’t seem pleased about the arrangement. Libba wasn’t supposed to know about Tally and Gerit’s affair, but Abigail had been too frustrated by it to hide it from Libba. She and Gerit were friends, and her girlfriend’s growing hostility towards him had been plain to see.

Libba cursed under her breath. She wasn’t doing a great job of keeping Tally and Gerit apart.

In the forest, not far out of sight of the camp, Tally and Gerit were busy collecting sticks and fronds for burning. Tally plucked a leafy green plant and held it up for Gerit’s scrutiny. “Will this burn?” 

He took it from her, looked at it closely, and then shook his head before tossing it. “It’s no good. It’s got too much life in it. Dead stuff burns better.” 

“Really?” Asked Tally, her expression sceptical. “You’d think it would be the other way around.” 

“Trust me. I’m a boy-scout.” He gave her the scout’s three-finger salute with a cheesy grin, making Tally laugh out loud at him. 

“I’m sure you looked great in the shorts.” She teased, then realised her mistake. She ducked her head as Gerit gave her a hopeful look, and a heavy silence fell over them.

They carried on collecting firewood in silence until Gerit asked Tally about her foot. “…I was worried about you.” He admitted, idly twirling a stick between his fingers. “When I saw you on the plane and you were trapped… I thought I might lose you.” 

“I’m fine.” Said Tally, deliberately turning her back on the teenage bot. “Hilary is the one you should worry about.” 

“Tally, wait!” Gerit caught her wrist and spun her around as she tried to walk away. The sticks bundled in her arms fell to the ground at their feet with a clatter. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“Hilary and I have been engaged since we were fourteen. Our family pretty much decided we’re getting married, and that’s that.” Gerit held Tally’s hands as he explained the situation. “We never had a choice. We’re doing our duty to our families, but that doesn’t mean we actually love each other…” He leaned in for a kiss and Tally wrenched her hands free and pushed him away.

“What the hell, Gerit!” She said, eyes burning with fury. “I’m sorry your family sucks, but you had a choice! You had a choice to tell me about Hilary before anything happened between us, and you didn’t! That’s on you, Ger!” 

“Tell you what?” Gerit scoffed. “That I think you’re pretty and the most amazing girl I know and ‘oh hey, I’m engaged to be married, do you want to go on a date with me?’ I don’t think that would have gone over too well, Tal!” 

“That’s the point.” Said Tally, staring her ex right in the eyes. “I would never have agreed to go out with you if I’d known about Hilary! I can’t face her, Gerit! The guilt is eating me up inside!” 

Gerit gave off a bitter laugh. “Hilary isn’t so innocent either, Tally. Trust me.” 

“I don’t care what Hilary’s done! You’re the one who lied to me, Gerit! I can’t trust you anymore.” Tally bent and picked up the sticks at her feet without another word. 

The tense silence between them remained the rest of the time they were gathering firewood. The pair emerged back on to the beach twenty minutes after they left, laden down with enough sticks and foliage to keep the fire burning all day and night. 

“Hey, Ger. Got wood?” Hilary sassed, her eyes lingering on Tally - who’s cheeks were the same shade of red as her hair. She dropped the firewood next to Glory, trying her best to ignore Hilary’s stares. The other girl was finished, though.

“Hey, Tally? Can you come check on my wound?” Hilary said, her eyes burning into the back of Tally’s head. Gerit shot her a warning look, but she ignored him. “I think it might be infected.” 

“Sure.” Tally turned and walked over to where Hilary was sitting on the sand. She knelt down beside her and unwrapped the bandage she’d tied around her thigh the afternoon before. Some blood had seeped through it, but the stitches seemed to have held, and there was no sign of infection. 

“No, you’re all good!” Tally forced a cheery inflection into her tone, keeping her eyes on Hilary’s wound and not daring to meet her gaze. “We should probably clean it again and change the dressing. Just to be sure.” 

“Thanks, Tally.” Hilary reached down and ran her hand over the other girl’s arm, startling her. “You’re the best.” 

“Uh, d-don’t mention it.” Tally stammered, pulling her hand away with a weak smile. She wasn’t sure what Hilary was playing at, but she wasn’t looking to get caught up in her and Gerit’s games. She was done with all that. “I’m going to go get a fresh bandage. You sit tight.”


	5. Chapter 5

  
“Hey, can we stop for a second?” Raelle called out to Scylla, ten feet ahead of her. They were halfway up the island’s highest peak, and Raelle had already drunk half her first bottle of water. The sun was fully up now and bearing down on the two of them as they hiked up the steep hill.

“What’s wrong, can’t keep up?” The other girl stopped and turned to face Raelle, a smirk playing on her lips. She took a sip from her own water bottle before tucking into one of the many pockets of her cargo pants. 

“I’m a little tired from saving your ass, yesterday.” Raelle said, shooting Scylla a smirk of her own. She took a seat on a large rock sticking out from the grass and wiped at her brow with the back of her hand. “Plus, we won’t be much help to your brother if we die from heat stroke.”

“Fair point.” Scylla conceded. She walked back down the hill and joined Raelle on the rock. “Just a couple of minutes, okay?” 

“All I need.” Said Raelle. She pulled out her water bottle and took a long gulp.

“So, what’s with Tally and Gerit?” Scylla asked, trying to make conversation while they sat resting. Raelle glanced uncertainly at the other girl. She didn’t know Scylla very well - if at all - but she didn’t seem like the type to gossip. 

As if reading Raelle’s mind, Scylla said, “I’m not going to tell Hilary. It just seems like there’s a story there, and I could really use something to distract me right now.” 

Raelle picked up a pebble and began running it across her knuckles like a magician performing a coin trick. Scylla watched with interest as she moved it across her hand and back again. “It’s complicated. I mean, it’s not, but it is.” Raelle shrugged and then tossed the pebble. Scylla felt a pang of disappointment. There’d been something hypnotic about Raelle running it across her fingers. 

“She didn’t know Gerit’s engaged, and that he’s a total fuckboy.” Raelle rolled her eyes with a sigh. “He flirted with her for months and when he asked her out, he said they had to keep it a secret because his parents didn’t approve of him dating. He left out the part where it was because he was already engaged.” 

“Wow, that sucks.” 

“Yea. Tally was devastated. She’s kept away from him ever since, but I’m worried after all this she might be tempted to go back to him. Comfort in what you, you know?” 

“Yeah.” Scylla nodded thoughtfully. “I just can’t imagine being ‘the other woman’.” 

“Me either.” Said Raelle. 

“What about you? Do you have a boyfriend waiting back home?” Scylla asked, still making conversation. Raelle couldn’t help but laugh, the kind of full belly laugh that made your sides ache. 

“What?” Scylla demanded. “Why is that so funny?” 

Raelle reigned in her laughter as she rubbed at the back of her neck. A nervous habit. “I uh, I’m not really in to guys. Like, at all.” 

“Oh.” Scylla’s eyes widened, and then she laughed. The sound was almost musical to Raelle’s ears. “Girlfriend then? Or fiancee? Wife?” She grinned. Raelle ducked her head.

“No, to all of those.” 

“Really?” Said Scylla. “I’m surprised. Come on, we should get going. We’re almost there.” She stood abruptly, catching Raelle off guard. 

“What? We’re only halfway up!” Raelle protested, scrambling to catch up with the other girl. 

“Exactly. Half way up! I’m an optimist, Raelle Collar!” She turned and winked, making Raelle blush. “Oh and try to keep up this time!” 

The second half of the hike was just as grueling as the first, but Raelle did her best to keep up with the other girl. It was worth it once they reached the top. At the peak of the hill, and with not a single cloud in the sky, they could see out across the whole of the island. 

Scylla took a breath, “It’s amazing.” 

“Sure is.” Raelle agreed, taking it all in. The island looked small enough to walk the perimeter in a few hours, but it would take a full day to walk across it through the dense tropical forest and rolling hills. 

Raelle spotted the fire from the beach, the thick black smoke billowing up into the otherwise clear sky. She could make out what was left of the plane too, the bright white fuselage sticking out of the sand like a single tooth in a baby’s mouth. 

While Raelle’s attention was on the beach, Scylla was looking inland. “Over there!” she tugged on Raelle’s arm to get her to turn around and pointed towards a gaping hole in the canopy of the trees. Something had definitely crashed through them; and recently. 

“That might be the tail!” Scylla announced, her face lighting up with excitement. “It could be them!” The crash site was on the other side of the island, deep in the forest. It would take them hours - and the rest of their water - to reach it, and there was no guarantee Byron and Porter even survived the crash.

Raelle’s pessimism was short-lived as Scylla threw her arms around her neck and hugged her. Her cheeks were flushed and her smile stretched right across her face; if her laugh was musical, then her smile was breathtaking. “He’s alive! Byron’s alive, I know it!” She squeezed Raelle tight, laughing with sheer glee. “Thank you, Raelle! Thank you so much.” 

“Don’t mention it.” Raelle patted Scylla’s back, swallowing her doubts. She couldn’t dash the other girl’s hopes. Byron had as much chance of surviving the crash as they did; and they’d done alright. 

“Let’s go!” Scylla pulled away, eager to go after her twin. She set off down the peak, heading for the vast jungle below. Raelle took one last look at the fire burning on the beach before she followed after her — At least going downhill would be a lot easier.

* * *

  
Tally ventured inside the wreckage of the plane, clutching her first aid kit to her chest as she crept past Abigail sleeping in one of the reclined chairs. She moved past her best friend - debating whether or not she should wake her - and to the back of the plane where Hilary sat. 

Gerit had helped her back inside the plane earlier, after he and Tally got back from fetching firewood, and Hilary had complained about getting too much sun. Tally promised to change her dressing, and there she was, walking into the belly of the beast with only her first aid kit and a forced smile. 

“Hey, Hilary.” Tally greeted the other girl, the cheery smile stretched across her face straining her cheeks as she perched on the arm of Hilary’s chair. “Ready to have your dressing changed?” 

“Sure.” Hilary set aside the magazine she was reading and sat up straighter, stretching her injured leg out. Tally removed the old dressing from Hilary’s thigh, then sat the first aid box on the corner of the seat between them and started rustling through it for an alcohol wipe.

“This might hurt.” She warned the other girl as she tore open the packet with her teeth. 

“Please.” Hilary scoffed. “After fourteen years of gymnastics, I think I can handle a little sting.” She tilted her chin back defiantly and Tally got on with it. She wiped over the stitches carefully, trying not to press too hard on them. 

“Motherfucker…” Hillary hissed through her teeth. 

“Sorry!” Tally winced. “The worst is over.” She set the wipe aside and began wrapping the fresh bandage around Hilary’s thigh. 

“I should be apologising.” Said Hilary, “For calling you a motherfucker… when really you’re a fiance-fucker, aren’t you, Tally?”

Tally’s hands faltered, the dressing coming undone. She ducked her head, a deep blush spreading over her cheeks as she re-wrapped the bandage and pinned it in place. She waited until she was finished to speak up. “Hilary, I am so sorry-”

“Save it.” The other girl snapped, her expression unreadable. “I don’t care what happened between you two. Gerit and I have an understanding. He can do what he wants as long as he’s discreet… I’m just pissed off her kept you all to himself.” Hilary leaned forward, intending to kiss her. 

Tally reared back so fast she almost fell off the arm of the chair. She scrambled to her feet, putting as much distance between her and the other girl as the small private plane would allow. “Hilary, I… uh… I have to go.” Tally turned tail and fled.

Her cheeks were still flushed as she stepped outside and took deep gulps of fresh air. “Tally, are you okay?” Gerit crossed over to her from the fire, looking concerned. He dropped his voice as he grew closer. “Did something happen with you and Hilary?” Gerit reached for her arm and Tally pulled it away.

“You told Hilary about us?” She hissed, her tone accusatory.

Gerit took a step back and held his hands up like he was the innocent party in all of this. “I didn’t tell her anything! She guessed! What was I supposed to do, lie?” 

“You didn’t have a problem lying to me!” 

“What did she say?” Gerit closed in on her again, his eyes full of concern. “Tally, what did she say to you?” 

“Nothing.” Tally lied, biting the inside of her cheek as she crossed her arms over her chest. Raelle and Abigail were always telling her how lousy of a liar she was. “She said she knew about us… that was it.”

Tally stalked away from him, heading for the safety of the fire, where Glory and Libba sat. Gerit didn’t follow her. He slipped inside the plane, intent on confronting his fiancee. 

Hours later, Abigail stumbled out of the plane and onto the beach. She yawned and stretched, blinking as the midday sun blinded her. She joined the others, who had moved away from the fire and sat under the shade of a tree on the edge of the beach. The fire was still going strong, cloying black smoke billowing up in to the air.

Abigail threw herself down on the sand beside Tally. The other girl didn’t even look up to greet her. She sat with a stick, drawing shapes into the sand, seemingly a million miles away. 

Abigail knocked her shoulder in to Tally’s. “Hey.” 

“Hey.” Tally replied weakly, dragging her stick through the sand. 

Abigail frowned as she glanced around at the rest of the group, then down at her watch. “Where’s Rae? Isn’t she back yet? She and Ramshorn have been gone for hours.”

“Uh, no. They haven’t been back.” Tally finally looked up with a frown. “You don’t think something happened to them, do you?”

“I hope a polar bear didn’t get them.” Said Glory, making everyone else turn their heads to look at her. She gave a sheepish shrug. “Like on that show, with the plane crash and the island, and the polar bear…” 

“They should be back by now.” Abigail ignored the smaller girl’s comments altogether as she turned back to face Tally. “They might have got lost. We should go looking for them.” 

“What’s the use in sending more people to get lost looking for them?” Libba spoke up with a scowl. Abigail’s frown deepened as she glared at her girlfriend. 

“They might be in trouble!” 

“And we’ll be in trouble if we go blindly after them! We don’t have enough water to spare to send people hiking through the damn jungle!” 

Abigail pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing on Libba. “We need firewood. Swythe, do you want to make yourself useful and help me get some?” 

“But there’s plenty of-” 

“Shut up, Glory!” Libba snapped. Rising to her feet, she followed Abigail, who was already trudging into the undergrowth of the forest. Tally and Glory watched them go, both looking equally confused by the outburst. 

Libba caught up with Abigail just out of sight of the others. “What the hell? Obvious much?” She snapped at the other girl.

Abigail came to an abrupt stop and turned to face her secret girlfriend with a scowl. She threw her hands in the air in frustration. “Collar is missing! How can you seriously expect me to just sit around and wait for her to show back up?” 

“Here we go again!” Libba crossed her arms over her chest. 

Abigail’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” 

“It’s always about Collar! She’s a big girl, Abigail! She chose to go off with Ramshorn, and it hasn’t even been that long! At least wait a few more hours until you run off to play hero!” 

Abigail’s expression changed. Her scowl lifted, her brow raising in surprise as the pieces slotted into place in her mind. “Oh my god, you’re jealous!” She shook her head in disbelief, while Libba’s cheeks burned red hot with anger. “You’re actually jealous of Raelle, of all people! That would be hilarious if it wasn’t so pathetic! There is nothing happening between me and Collar! She’s like my sister!” 

“I’m not jealous!” Libba snapped, her entire demeanour screaming otherwise. “Go after her. See if I care… but I won’t come looking for you if you go missing too!” She turned her back and stomped away, leaving Abigail fuming and alone.

“Great… just great!”  
  


* * *

  
“We’re close, look at those trees. Somethin’ cam through ‘em.” Raelle stopped and pointed up at the canopy of trees overhead. The leaves were patchy in places, as if something had dragged along them, and there were broken branches on the forest floor. Raelle picked one up, inspecting the damage. “They were snapped recently, they’re still alive.” 

“Okay, Bear Grylls.” Scylla shot the other girl a smirk and Raelle sheepishly dropped the stick with a shrug. 

“My Dad and I go huntin’, I’ve been tracking game since I could walk.” 

“Where are you from? Your accent’s Cession, right?” Asked Scylla, taking the lead as she passed Raelle.

“Yeah. How about you?” 

Scylla turned to Raelle, her smirk widening. “My Dad was a diplomat. Byron and I grew up all over. Germany, Sweeden, the UK. We didn’t even set foot in the states until we were like twelve or something.” Raelle nodded, that made sense. It was only slight, but Scylla held a hint of an accent, like English wasn’t her first language. 

“Can you speak any other languages?” Raelle asked, genuinely interested in the other girl. She caught up to Scylla and fell in alongside her. The pair walked in tandem through the forest, their bare arms brushing.

“Only four.” 

“Only?” Said Raelle. “Damn, I barely speak English.” 

Scylla laughed at that. Her laugh lit up her whole face, revealing adorable dimples. She was stunning, and Raelle wasn’t sure why she hadn’t noticed her at school before. Scylla was exactly her type — Dark-haired and trouble. 

“Speaking four languages isn’t that helpful on a desert island.” Said Scylla, her smirk back in place. “But tracking and hunting, that could come in useful. Remind me to keep on your good side, Raelle.” She knocked her shoulder into Raelle’s with a soft chuckle. 

“Do you really think it will come to that? Having to find our own food and stuff?” 

“I dunno.” Scylla shrugged. “But I haven’t seen any rescue planes yet. Have you?” 

“No.” Raelle shook her head and glanced down at the water bottle clutched in her hand. It was her second, and it was almost empty. They could survive up to three weeks without food, but only three days without water. 

“Hey, what’s that?” Scylla stopped and grabbed Raelle’s wrist with one hand as she pointed in the distance with the other. Something white and metallic looking glinted amongst the trees. “It’s the tail! We found them!”


	6. Chapter 6

  
Growing closer to the wreckage of the tail end of the plane, Raelle and Scylla spotted a long figure sitting on the ground. “Byron!” Scylla called out her twin’s name, and he turned to look. She surged forward, throwing her arms around her brother’s neck and almost knocking him over. 

There was a good half a foot difference in height between the siblings, and he dwarfed Scylla as he stood. They shared the same striking dark looks, but where Scylla’s eyes were a dazzling blue, Byron had their father’s eyes — A deep green which changed colour depending on his mood. 

Those sharp green eyes were wide with uncertainty as Byron pulled back from Scylla’s embrace. “Do I know you?” 

“Byron…” Scylla frowned. “That’s not funny!” 

Byron looked past his twin, his eyes landing on Raelle. “Am I Byron?” He asked. Raelle was at a loss for words. She opened her mouth to answer, but Scylla beat her to it. 

“Quit it, asshole! It’s not funny!” Scylla slammed his chest with her fist and he reared back, barking with laughter as he held his hands up in surrender. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It was too good to resist!” Byron laughed so hard he had tears in the corners of his eyes. He wiped at them with his sleeve. The white button-down shirt he’d been wearing for the past two days was caked in dirt and sticking to his back with sweat. 

“Ass-hat!” Scylla slapped him again, a permanent frown fixed on her face. Raelle bit back a smirk as Byron protested. 

“Come on, it was a joke! Raelle thought it was funny, right?” He turned his grin on the blonde. 

“Hey, leave me out of it.” Raelle held up her hands, quickly losing her smirk as both twins turned to look at her. 

“You’re a dick.” Scylla grumbled, even as she reached out and hugged him again, squeezing her brother tight. “I thought I’d lost you.” 

Byron turned serious as he wrapped his arms around Scylla. He dipped his head, burying his face in her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m okay.” 

“Your head.” From their new positions, Scylla noticed the dried blood on the collar of his shirt and the matted hair at the back of his head. She reached to inspect the wound, and he pulled back with a wince.

“Easy. That shit hurts.” Byron gingerly touched at the gash on the back of his head. Raelle noticed with some amusement that the twins had matching head wounds; only Scylla’s had been treated. 

“What happened?” 

Byron gave a shrug. “I woke up with it. I was in the bathroom when I heard a bang. Next thing I knew, Porter was pulling me out of the plane.” 

“Porter’s okay?” Scylla’s voice went up a pitch and a look of relief flashed over her face. 

“Yeah. He’s in the plane, looking for supplies. We were about to come looking for you. We would have come sooner, but I uh… I just woke up.” Said Byron, looking sheepish.

“Me too. Don’t worry about it.” Scylla squeezed his hand. She turned to look at Raelle, her frown disappearing. “Raelle here saved me. We landed in the water and she got me back to shore.” 

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Byron let go of his sister’s hand and threw his arms around Raelle, taking her by surprise. She wasn’t a big hugger, especially when it came to boys. She patted Byron’s back with an awkward gesture. 

“Don’t mention it.” Raelle said, unsure of what else to say. She was saved from further scrutiny as Porter appeared in the gaping hole of the wreckage of the plane. 

“Scylla?” Porter dropped the backpack he was lugging and raced over to the group. He scooped the smaller girl up in his arms, laughing as he spun her around before putting her back down. 

Raelle looked away, uncomfortable with the display and suddenly curious about just how close the two were. She’d assumed Porter was Byron’s friend. 

“I was so worried.” Porter cupped Scylla’s face with his hands, his relief written all over his face. Scylla brought a hand up to cup his. 

“I’m fine.” She said, guiding Porter’s hands away from her as she caught Raelle moving out of the corner of her eye. The other girl walked up to the tail end of the plane and disappeared inside. 

Scylla pulled away from Porter altogether. “Really. I’m fine. I’m glad you’re okay, and I’m grateful for what you did for Byron, but that doesn’t change things between us.” 

“No. Of course.” Porter dipped his head and shoved his hands into the pockets of his board shorts. “I’m glad you’re okay. That’s all that matters… Is it just you two? Did anybody else make it.” 

“Uh, yeah. Everyone, except for the pilots.” Said Scylla. Her attention was drawn to the wreckage of the plane as Raelle came back out, leaned against the nearest tree and promptly heaved. 

Porter glanced over at her with a wince. “The flight attendant didn’t make it.” Raelle stood upright again, wiping at her mouth with her hand. “I’ve got nearly everything useful out of there. Some water, a little food. I’ll finish clearing out and we can get back to the others. Where are y’all at?” 

“The other side of the island, on the beach. We’re using the plane for shelter.” Raelle answered, joining the others again. “We should head back soon. The others will be getting worried.” 

“Sure. Give me a minute.” Porter turned and headed back into the plane to finish salvaging what he could. Scylla caught Raelle’s eye again. She opened her mouth to say something, but Raelle cut her off.

“I’ll give him a hand.” The other girl followed Porter into the plane, leaving Scylla and her brother on their own. 

“She’s cute.” Byron grinned, making Scylla roll her eyes before she elbowed him in the ribs. Byron winced. 

“Shut up.” Smirked Scylla. Her twin could read her all too well. 

* * *

  
  


Libba lay on a large rock by the shore, basking in the sun with her sunglasses on and an open book resting on her chest. She’d changed into her bikini, applied some sunscreen, and was making the most of the mid-day sun while awaiting rescue. It was fortunate they’d all packed for the warmer climate and hadn’t been on their way to a skiing trip. 

Libba opened her eyes as a shadow fell over her. It was her own personal cloud, Abigail Bellweather. Things hadn’t ended well the last time they spoke. Libba wasn’t sure where they stood. Fighting wasn’t unusual for them after a lifetime of fierce rivalry. 

The Swythes and the Bellweathers were both staples of Massachusetts high society, and the rivalry between the two families went back generations. For all Libba and Abigail had bucked the trend, some habits died hard and hiding their relationship put even more strain on their volatile relationship.

“Bellweather.” Libba greeted her girlfriend with a frosty reception as Abigail took a seat beside her. “Come for round 2?” 

“I’m sorry.” Abigail sighed, catching the other girl off guard. Libba pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head with a smirk.

“Say that again, I need to record it for prosperity.” 

“Not a chance.” Abigail huffed, knocking her shoulder into Libba’s halfheartedly. “That was a one-time thing, so make the most of it.” Abigail picked up Libba’s sunscreen and squirted some into her hands before rubbing it onto her exposed arms. 

“I don’t think you’ve ever apologised. Like ever.” Said Libba. She took the sunscreen from Abigail and squeezed some onto the other girl’s shoulders before rubbing it in for her. Abigail dropped her head forward to let her rub it into her neck. She let out a heavy sigh as Libba’s finger kneaded her skin like dough. 

“Hmm, I usually don’t have to. I just go down on you and we’re all good again…”  
  
“And people say we can’t settle our differences.” Libba teased. “What I wouldn’t give for five minutes alone right now.” With her back to the others and her body hiding Abigail, she dipped her head and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, knowing full well what it did to her.   
  
Abigail turned, checking to see if anyone was looking before she pulled Libba in for a searing kiss, their mouths clashing in a battle of wills. Abigail pulled away first, fearful of being caught. “Five minutes wouldn’t even cut it.” She sighed.

“We could always go for more firewood.” Libba suggested, her tone playful and her leering smile downright obscene. Abigail bit the inside of their cheek. Their entire relationship had begun because of a drunken game of truth or dare, in which both girls had been unwilling to back down. 

Tally, in one of her more infuriating moments, had drunkenly dared them to spend ‘seven minutes in heaven’ in the closet in their dorm room. They’d spent the first six minutes glaring at each other, goading and name calling until something had snapped in both of them. 

Abigail would give anything for the privacy of seven minutes in a closet with her girlfriend right about then. “I think we need a new excuse. We have enough firewood to last us a week.” 

“God, we better not be here that long.” Libba sighed, losing her smile. She was scared, Abigail could see it in her eyes, despite the other girl’s best attempts to hide it. She reached over, taking Libba’s hand in her own. 

“We won’t be. Rescue is coming any hour now. You’ll see.” 

Abigail glanced over her shoulder and spotted Tally walking towards them. She hastily let go of Libba’s hand, crossing her arms over her chest. She waved as she saw Abigail looking. “Hey, Raelle’s back!” 

Sure enough, further down the beach, Raelle was leading a small group towards the fuselage. Abigail felt a rush of relief at seeing her friend. She begrudgingly accepted that Libba had been right — Going after Raelle, risking more of them getting lost, would have been a mistake. 

Abigail stood to go meet them and Libba followed suit, scooping up her book and her sunscreen with one hand. They fell in step together on the way back to the plane, Libba’s free hand brushing against Abigail’s. “And for the record, I’m not jealous of Collar.”

“Good.” 

“It’s my name you scream when you come, not hers. And if you ever do cheat on me with her, I’ll fuck Tally.” Libba smirked, deliberately pulling ahead and leaving Abigail scoffing behind her.

“Jesus…” She shook her head, a smirk tugging at her lips. Libba was intense, but that was part of the appeal. 

The pair arrived back at the plane at the same time as Raelle and the others did. Seeing Byron and Porter alive did wonders for the morale of the group. Most of the girls hugged them, while Gerit slapped Porter on the back, cracking a joke about not being the only guy on the island anymore. 

“Find any water?” Abigail asked Raelle, conscious of Libba’s eyes on her from across the dwindling fire. Raelle shook her head, her expression weary. She’d spent the morning traipsing across the island and back, and Abigail had waited all of thirty seconds to start in on her. Raelle told her as much.

“I just trekked across the damn island for Porter and Byron. Sorry I didn’t get time to stop and do any sight seeing!” She huffed, dropping to the sand and finishing what little was left in her water bottle. 

Abigail let it go. She reached over for another bottle of water from their pile. “Here. Take one of mine.” 

“It’s fine.” Raelle shook her head. “We’ll be out of here in no time. Right?” 

“Right.” Abigail agreed, forcing a smile. Over twenty-four hours had passed since their plane dropped out of the sky.

Even if their absence on the radar had gone unnoticed, the representatives from the other school in Australia should have raised the alarm when they didn’t show up at the airport. 

Abigail knew somebody should have found them by now, and the defeated look in Raelle’s eyes told her she knew it too. The water situation was going to become a real problem if nobody showed up soon.

“Hey, Tally, can you check Byron’s head?” Across from Raelle and Abigail, Scylla shoved her brother to the sand to sit beside Tally. 

“Less manhandling!” Byron snapped at her. “Jesus, Scyl, you’re fifteen minutes older, not years!” 

“Shut it, you.” Scylla slapped him affectionately around the head, only realising her mistake as he yelped. “Shit, sorry, By!” She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him from behind. 

“You’re lucky I have to love you…” Byron grumbled, craning his head forward to let Tally inspect his wound. The deep gash on the back of his head was hidden by his hair, which was matted in dry blood. 

Tally carefully teased the clumps of hair apart to get a better look. Scylla watched her pull a face. “That looks deep. I might need to stitch it-”

“Stitches?” Byron shot to his feet, almost knocking into Raelle as she walked over to check on him and Scylla. “Okay, Nurse Ratchet, let’s dial it back a notch. Shall we?” 

“Don’t be a baby, Byron!” Scylla rolled her eyes. She shot an apologetic look Tally’s way. “He’s terrified of needles.” 

“Oh sure, the needle is the issue, not the backstreet surgery!” Said Byron.

“It’s a couple of stitches, not brain surgery!” Scylla gave out an exasperated sigh. With their parents gone, she was all Byron had left. 

“Easy for you to say!” Huffed Byron. 

“It needs done. The cut might get infected otherwise.” Said Tally, playing her part as the voice of reason. “We can clean it up and stitch it in the plane. There’ll be less chance of infection that way.”

“Tally’s right.” Raelle spoke up, placing a hand on Byron’s shoulder to usher him towards the fuselage. “You wouldn’t want to get an infection and lose your hair, would you?” 

“My hair?” Byron clutched at the back of his head with a worried expression. After a moment, he relented. “Fine.” He followed Tally in to the plane while Scylla shot Raelle a grateful look. 

“Thanks for that.” 

“Don’t mention it.” Raelle shrugged. She pointed her thumb towards the fuselage. “We should get in there and help pin him down when Tally starts.” 

“Good idea.” Scylla laughed, her playful smirk back in place. She gestured for Raelle to go first. “After you.” 

Inside the plane, Tally made Byron lie down on one of the chairs while she went outside to heat the needle and Scylla took an empty water bottle to fill up from the ocean to clean the wound up with. 

“God, I hate needles.” Byron sighed, lying with his hands on his lap. Raelle sat in the empty chair across the aisle from him, facing him with her legs hanging over the armrest.

“Me too.” She said and Byron grinned. 

“Think it’s a gay thing?” 

“Probably.” Raelle laughed right as Tally and Scylla walked back in. Scylla smiled at the sight of Raelle and her brother getting along. As much as they bickered, Byron’s opinion meant a lot to her. 

“What are you two conspiring about?” She asked, using the bottle of sea water to wet a T-shirt she’d taken out of Byron’s suitcase. 

“We’re planning our revolution.” Answered Byron, wincing as Scylla dabbed at the dry blood in his hair. “The gays are rising up and taking over the island. I’m President, Raelle is my VP.” 

“Oh, so much for family. What position do I get?” 

“Sorry, gays only.” Raelle said, testing the waters while she held eye contact with the other girl. Scylla’s smirk widened as she tilted her head.

“It’s a good job I’m bisexual then. Viva la revolution!” She grinned and Raelle ducked her head with a blush. 

“You can be Treasurer of State.” Byron said, playing along while Tally threaded the string through the hot needle. He averted his gaze, focusing on his sister instead. “I can’t make you VP, people might accuse me of neotism.” 

“It’s nepotism.” Tally corrected him as she sat down, ready to stitch his wound together. 

“Oh.” Said Byron. “Well, how about you, Tally? What position do you want? Head of Health and Wellbeing? Tally?” Byron glanced back as she didn’t answer. 

He wasn’t the only one watching her. From the back of the plane, Hilary sat with her leg up, looking at Tally with a curious expression as she waited for her to answer.

“Uh, I… I’m not gay.” Said Tally. Hillary chuckled under her breath and turned her attention back to the magazine she was reading. “You need to turn around and keep still.”

Tally started stitching Byron’s wound up, and once it was clear he wouldn’t bolt out of his seat, Raelle left them to it. It was too stuffy in the fuselage with the sun bearing directly overhead. She stepped outside the plane for some fresh air. 

“Hey.” Raelle turned when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Scylla. She slipped past the other girl, coming to stand right in front of Raelle. 

“Hi.” Raelle grinned, feeling like she was fifteen again and standing in front of her first crush. 

“I wanted to thank you properly, for helping me to find Byron.” 

“A promise is a promise.” Raelle shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “You can owe me one.” 

Scylla’s own smirk widened. “I owe you more than that. You saved my life and helped me find my brother, so thanks.” Scylla stepped closer and pressed a kiss to Raelle’s cheek. Raelle’s blush deepened. She felt like she might melt right there on the spot.

Looking up brought her crashing back down to reality as she caught Porter watching them. She took a step back, shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts and hunching her shoulders, trying to make herself look smaller as she wilted under Porter’s scrutiny. 

“Uh, you must be glad Porter’s okay… I mean, he’s your boyfriend, right?” 

Picking up Raelle’s sudden unease, Scylla glanced over her shoulder and caught Porter looking. He quickly glanced away, turning his back to the two girls. 

Scylla turned her attention back to Raelle, her smile strained. “We’re uh… we’re not together anymore.” 

“Oh.” Raelle’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, sorry… I didn’t-”

“It’s fine.” Scylla reached out, touching her hand to Raelle’s arm. “We broke up like a week ago. He wasn’t happy about it, but it was the right thing… This trip was going to be awkward enough without the plane crashing.” Scylla laughed, her smile genuine again as she took her hand back and used it to tuck her hair behind her ear. 

“It’s just my luck to get stranded on a deserted island with my ex-boyfriend… But, it’s not all bad I suppose.” 

“Yeah.” Raelle agreed as she realised Scylla was flirting with her. Just to confirm it for herself, and to prove she wasn’t crazy, Raelle added with a sly grin, “The weather is beautiful.” 

“Yeah.” Scylla agreed, biting down on her lip as she cocked her head to the side and held Raelle’s gaze. “That too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks, as ever thanks for reading! I'm home schooling my neice and two nephews with the UK in lock down at the minute so not sure I can commit to a regular upload schedule, but I'm still hoping to update at least once a week.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting this folks, I got an infection in my wisdom tooth and it knocked me for six. I'm getting over it now, so hoping to get back on track with updating. As ever, thanks for reading!

  
It was mid day, and the sun hung high overhead as Raelle lay under the shade of a tree on the edge of the beach. The weather was sweltering, with not even the hint of a breeze to offer any sort of relief for the parched teen.   
  
Raelle lay on her back with her eyes closed. The light hurt them, and her stomach grumbled with hunger, while her throat felt as dry as the desert. The rest of the group all sat further down the beach, next to the wreckage of the plane; except for Hillary, who was still holed up in the fuselage.  
  
Raelle opened her eyes as a shadow fell over her. She squinted, shielding her eyes with her hand as she looked up at Abigail. “’Sup?” She asked, her throat raw and her voice scratchy.   
  
Abigail took a seat on the sand beside Raelle, crossing her long legs underneath her. “I’m going to look for water.” She said, pulling idly at the grass growing through the sand.   
  
“Okay.” Raelle sat up with a grunt. “Just give me a minute-”   
  
“That wasn’t an invitation, Collar.” Abigail rolled her eyes at the other girl. “I’m just letting you know so you can keep an eye on Tally. Keep her away from Gerit.”   
  
“You shouldn’t go out there alone.”  
  
“I’m not. I’m taking Libba with me.”  
  
“Libba?” Raelle pulled a face. “Why are you taking her? You know, we’re stuck on an island, right? Killing her here probably isn’t the best idea. It kind of narrows down the suspects.”   
  
“Please, I’m not stupid.” Said Abigail. She broke out in a grin. “I’d at least make it look like an accident.”   
  
Raelle let out a throaty chuckle and then closed her eyes as another wave of nausea hit her. It didn’t go unnoticed by Abigail. She knocked her shoulder lightly against Raelle’s.   
  
“You’re exhausted and Tally’s hurt. Neither of you are in any fit state to come with me, and Glory talks too much, so that leaves Swythe. At least if anything happens, like we run in to a lion or some shit, I can use Libba as a distraction to get away.”   
  
It was Raelle’s turn to roll her eyes. “Just be careful out there. Come back before dark and try not to kill each other.”   
  
“I can’t make any promises.” Abigail said, wearing a grin as she stood. “Take it easy, Collar; and keep an eye on Tally. Don’t let her do anything stupid.”   
  
Raelle shot her a mock salute before she lay back down, closing her eyes against the harsh sunlight as she fought the urge to be sick.  
  
Abigail walked back over to the others. Libba was collecting the empty water bottles up from around the camp and putting them in a backpack in case they found a fresh body of water they could fill them back up from.

“We found Byron and Porter on the East side of the island.” Said Scylla. “And we didn’t see any water. You guys should try going West.”   
  
“Thanks.” Abigail nodded at the other girl before turning her attention to Tally. She clapped her on the shoulder. “I won’t be gone long. Keep an eye on Raelle for me. She doesn’t look like she’s doing good.”  
  
“I will.” Tally promised.   
  
“You ready?” Abigail asked, looking at Libba.  
  
“For a walk in the woods with you, Bedwetter? Always.” Libba smirked as she watched Abigail’s jaw tighten. She’d pay for that remark later. Libba couldn’t wait.  
  
Tally reached up for Abigail’s hand. “Please don’t murder her.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Abigail huffed. “Come on.”  
  
The pair took off in to the woods, taking Scylla’s advice and following the path of the sun, heading West. Libba waited until they were out of sight of the others before she knocked her shoulder in to Abigail’s. “You know, trekking across this island is a lot of work just so you can get in my pants.”  
  
Abigail smirked, knocking her shoulder back in to her girlfriend’s. “Hey, some time alone, just the two of us? Trust me, it’s worth it… but we really do need to find water out here. Otherwise we’re screwed, and not in the fun way.”  
  
Libba sighed as she slipped her hand in to Abigail’s. “What are the chances of us finding a four seasons out here?”   
  
Abigail let out a hollow laugh. “Pretty low.”   
  
“Hell, I’d take a Holiday Inn right about now.” Libba came to a stop, her hand falling from Abigail’s as she worried at her lip. “Nobody’s come yet. It’s been a full fucking day and nobody’s come for us! What if they never do? Planes go missing all the fucking, time. Look at that one last year! A plane full of hundreds of people vanished, and they never found it!” Libba’s voice grew as she bordered on full blown panic.  
  
Abigail stepped in close and took hold of the other girl by her arms, staring her down with eyes that had once looked at her with hatred. There was no hatred in them now, only deep concern. “Don’t even think like that. Someone will come for us… They have to! Do you really think our mothers would let anyone give up the search?”  
  
Libba managed a weak smile. “You’re right. Our moms are probably in a pissing contest right now, seeing who can throw the most money at the search party.” She leaned into Abigail’s touch and kissed her. “At least we’re together.”   
  
Abigail grinned, “Are you going soft on me, Swythe?” She teased, pulling her girlfriend in for another kiss.

* * *

  
Back at the makeshift camp, Scylla approached Raelle - who was still lying in the shade- carrying a bottle of water. She sat down beside the other girl as Raelle slowly peeled her eyes open and offered her a lopsided smile. “You’re not looking too good.”  
  
“Thanks.” Raelle snorted. “It’s been a long morning.” She tried to sit up and winced as a wave of dizziness washed over her.   
  
Scylla reached out, her hand finding Raelle’s shoulder. “Hey, I mean it. I think you might have heat stroke or something. You should have a drink.” She held out the water bottle she was holding.  
  
Raelle dismissed Scylla’s concern with a shake of her head. “I’m just tired is all. I fell out of a plane yesterday. Besides, I already had my share of the water.”  
Not to be deterred, Scylla pressed on. “We got water from the tail and Abigail and Libba are out there looking for more. If anyone will find some, it’s the two High Atlantics. Those two are stubborn. So here.” Scylla pressed her bottle into Raelle’s hand.   
  
“You’ll need it if the others don’t find any water.” Raelle shook her head and tried to hand it back.  
  
Scylla reached out again, this time covering Raelle’s hand with her own as she gave her a sly grin. “There’s something you should know about me, Raelle. I’m used to getting my own way. I can be kind of a brat about it.”   
  
Raelle let out a throaty chuckle. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She unscrewed the cap off the water bottle and took a long drink from the water bottle. Raelle smacked her lips with a sigh. “Shit, water never tasted so good.”   
  
Scylla grinned, but behind her smile lay deep concern for the other girl. She stood up, dusting sand off her palms on her cargo pants. “Stay put, okay? I’ll be right back.”   
  
“I’m not going anywhere.” Said Raelle. She lay back down while Scylla took off. She was gone for a few minutes, and when she came back her shirt was ripped at the midriff and she was carrying a piece of wet cloth in her hands.  
  
Raelle realised it was part of Scylla’s shirt and she pulled a face. “Why did you go and ruin your shirt?”   
  
Scylla gave a dismissive shrug. “It was an old one.”  
  
“You packed an old shirt to come on vacation?” Raelle frowned, seeing right through the other girl’s lie.   
  
“Shush.” Scylla said, dabbing Raelle’s forehead and cheeks with the wet scrap of cloth.  
  
“Okay, that feels good.” Raelle closed her eyes again with a sigh.   
  
Scylla’s smirked stretched across her face as she bit back the urge to say, ‘I told you so.’ “You need some sleep, and to get out of the sun. Let’s get you in to the plane.”  
  
“Nah, I’m fine here.”

Scylla ignored her. Reaching over, she took hold of Raelle’s wrists and pulled her to her feet. The other girl groaned, but Scylla’s grin only widened. “Hey, didn’t I warn you I’m used to getting my own way?”   
  
“Yes, you did.” Raelle relented, using the other girl to steady herself as she felt lightheaded from standing. “I probably should have listened, huh?”  
  
“Yeah, you probably should have.” Scylla wrapped an arm around Raelle’s waist to keep her upright, and they slowly made their way over to the fuselage.   
  
Hillary was the only one inside when they clambered through the opening. She was still reading her magazine. She tossed it aside as she spotted the two girls. “Jesus, Collar, you look like shit!”   
  
Raelle rolled her eyes at her. “Thanks.”   
  
“I think she probably has heat exhaustion or something.” Said Scylla. She helped maneuver Raelle over to the chair the two of them slept in the night before.   
  
“She needs some peace and quiet and plenty of rest.”   
  
“What a shame, I was about to throw a party. The boys are bringing a keg over.” Hillary sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.   
  
“Hey, don’t let me stop you.” Raelle slumped into the chair and curled up on her side, hugging her legs to her chest. Her muscles felt like they were on fire. Scylla dabbed at her forehead again.  
  
“You’ll feel better after you get some sleep.”  
  
“Hmm.” Said Raelle, her eyes already closed. Scylla sat beside her on the arm of the chair until she fell asleep. Once she was sure Raelle was sleeping, she stood up and moved over to Hillary.   
  
“How are you doing?” She asked.   
  
Hillary gave a shrug, her fingers running over the bandage Tally had dressed her wound with. “I’ve had worse from training. I should ask how you’re doing. You were the one that was out cold for most of yesterday.”   
  
“I’m okay.” Scylla touched the back of her head and gave a wince. Her head wound was still tender, and her hair was matted with dried blood. “I desperately need to wash my hair, though.”  
  
“Our plane crashed in the middle of god knows where, who knows if anyone is even looking for us, and you’re worried about your hair? Who are you tying to impress?” Hillary grinned, her eyes straying to the seat Raelle lay curled up. “Because it’s sure as fuck not Porter.”   
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”   
  
“Sure, sure. It’s about time you got rid of him. He’s such a square… Collar though, now she looks like fun.” Hillary wiggled her eyebrows at Scylla. “Planning on having a little desert island rebound fuck, are we?”  
  
Scylla rolled her eyes, her tongue darting out to wet her lips as she glanced over at Raelle. “It’s not like that.”   
  
Hillary gave out a lofty sigh. “You seriously need to learn how to have fun.”

“I can have fun when we’re not facing dehydration and starving to death…” Scylla bit the inside of her cheek. “I’m worried about Raelle, about all of us, how long we can last like this if nobody finds us.”  
  
Hillary gave an indignant snort. “Our parents are all rich as fuck! People are looking for us, trust me.”  
  
Scylla laughed. “Yeah, my Aunt Izadora is probably freaking out right about now.”  
  
“Never mind your aunt, somewhere out there there’s a tiny four foot eleven Asian lady telling some poor coast guard grunt, or air traffic controller, that she personally knows the president and they had better find her precious baby girl.”  
  
The two of them were still laughing when Tally walked in. She spotted Raelle sleeping and walked right pass her, approaching Scylla. “Is Raelle okay?” She asked in a quiet voice.  
  
“I think it’s heat exhaustion.” Answered Scylla. “I cooled her down, and I figured letting her sleep it off would be for the best.”  
  
“Oh, okay, good. It’s lunchtime, I brought these for Hillary.” Tally handed the other girl a bottle of water and a bag of pretzels. Hillary looked at the measly offerings with a sneer.  
  
“Thanks for the delivery service, Craven. Sorry I don’t have any cash on me right now, I’m sure I can think of some way to pay you back, though.”   
  
A crimson blush rivalling the colour of her hair spread its way across Tally’s cheeks as she averted her gaze from the other girl.   
  
“I’m going to go check on Byron. I’ll see you guys later.” Said Scylla, picking up on the tension in the air. Tally watched her walk out before she turned to Hillary with a strained smile, trying her best to be nice to her.  
  
“Do you need anything else before I go?”   
  
“Is everyone here getting table service?” Hillary glared at the other girl. “Or is it just me, because you feel bad about fucking my fiance?”   
  
“I’ll check in on you later.” Tally turned to walk away, needing to put some distance between them. Hillary wasn’t about to let that happen. She caught hold of Tally’s wrist, holding her in place.   
  
“I’m sorry, okay?” She snapped. Her voice softened as she added, “I was just looking for a reaction, okay? And it’s not fair on you. My therapist says I enjoy seeing how far I can push people. It’s a problem… Can we start over?” Hillary asked, a tentative smile appearing on her lips.

Tally was a little taken aback by her honesty. She pulled her wrist away and said, “Sure… Uh, so do you need anything?”   
  
“Honestly? I’m really bored. I’ve read this magazine cover to cover like ten times already.” She picked up the magazine beside her and tossed it aside with a huff. Tally wished her biggest problem right then was boredom. She supposed she couldn’t be too hard on the other girl, with her leg the way it was it wasn’t like she could do much to help out. Hillary wouldn’t be hiking across the island any time soon.  
  
Tally perked up. “I have a book you can read? It’s kind of one of those trashy romance novels you get at the airport, though.” She blushed, wishing she’d packed something more substantial. She and Hillary were in the same AP Lit class, and Tally could imagine the other girl rolling her eyes at her choice in reading material.  
  
“I’ll take anything at this point.” Said Hillary.   
  
Tally made her way over to her carry-on bag and, after a moment of fishing around in it, pulled out a battered novel. She handed it over to Hillary, who scrutinised the cover with a discerning eye. It showed a big-breasted brunette woman dressed in period clothing, being held by a beefy man with long, silky black hair and a silver hoop in his left ear.   
  
“Um, I’m only halfway through, but it should keep you busy for a little bit. It’s about pirates.”   
  
“Thanks.” Said Hillary, and Tally beamed like a puppy. She’d be wagging her tail if she had one; Hillary thought it was cute.   
  
“Okay, well, I’ll she’ll check in on you later. Enjoy the book, and your lunch.”  
  
“I will, and… I’ll keep an eye on Collar for you.”  
  
“Thanks.” Things were still awkward between them, but Tally was taking Hillary at her word she wanted to start over.  
  
Outside the plane, the others had all moved out of the glare of the afternoon sun and under the shade of the wing. Glory was sharing out the food, what little of it they had left, anyway. Porter caught Tally staring at the small pile that remained. It wouldn’t see them through another day.   
  
“It’s going to be an issue soon.” He mumbled to her while the others tucked in to their airplane pretzels and peanuts. “Water has to be our priority, though. People can go weeks without food, but not so long without water.”   
  
“Abigail and Libba will find some.” Tally said, her tone belaying more confidence than she actually felt as she wrapped her arms around herself.   
  
“What if they don’t?” Asked Glory, having overhead them talking. Her big brown eyes were wide and staring at Tally like she had all the answers.

“They will.” She insisted. “I know they will… I’m going to go have a look around myself. See what I can spot.” Tally felt restless. She couldn’t stand around doing nothing.  
  
“Want me to come with you?” Gerit offered, looking at her with a hopeful expression.  
  
“No.” Said Tally, turning him down as Scylla looked up at her with a curious expression. Tally swallowed the lump at the back of her throat. “I’ll be fine. I won’t go far.”   
  
She didn’t wait around for Gerit, or anyone else, to argue with her. Tally ventured in to the forest, leaving the others - and her ever-growing list of worries - behind.  
  
Despite what she’d said to Glory, she was worried Abigail and Libba might come back empty-handed. Then there was the fact that nobody had found them yet. How long would they be stuck here for? How long could they survive without water?  
  
Then there was Hilary. Had she been sincere when she asked for a fresh start between them? Did she really mean it? Tally liked to see the best in people, but a tiny part of her brain was telling her she was being played. What if Hillary was cooking something up? Some kind of payback for Tally’s affair with Gerit?   
  
Tally let out a huff and slumped against the nearest tree. She jumped as something fell to the floor, almost hitting her on the head. Tally stared at the object on the ground, unable to believe her own eyes.  
  
She eventually looked up, her despair lifting and a grin spreading over her face as she looked at all the coconuts hanging overhead. It was hardly a grand feast, but it was better than nothing. They wouldn’t starve waiting for the rescue party to show up.


	8. Chapter 8

“Hey, Sunshine.” Raelle was roused from her sleep as Scylla gently shook her shoulder to wake her. The blonde let out a small groan, blinking and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her body ached, the muscles in her arms and legs were in cramp from sun exposure, and her stomach rumbled with hunger.

Her eyes focused on the girl leaning over her and Raelle’s small frown turned in to a bleary-eyed smile. “Hi.” 

“Hey. I’ve got something for you.” Scylla purred and Raelle felt her stomach drop, her aches and pains all but forgotten. “Here.” Scylla held up a half full bottle of water to her lips; it wasn’t exactly what Raelle had been expecting. 

“Oh. Thanks.” She sat up, wincing as she did. Scylla held the bottle up for her, urging her to take a drink. Raelle did, and the moment the liquid touched the back of her tongue she gagged, blowing out her cheeks she clenched her lips shut to stop herself from spitting in Scylla’s face. She swallowed with a shudder, her slender shoulders shaking with the effort. 

Scylla bit her lip, amusement playing in her eyes as Raelle wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, her face all scrunched up. “Was that coconut water?” She asked. “Ugh, I can’t stand coconut… but, thanks, though.” She quickly added, not wanting to offend the other girl. 

“Yeah, Tally told me that.” Scylla admitted with a sly grin. “I asked in case you were allergic or something. She told me to make you drink it and not tell you what it was.” 

“I hate you both…” Raelle said with a huff, flopping back against her chair with an exaggerated sigh. 

“No, you don’t.” Scylla's grin stretched impossibly wide and Raelle relented.

“No, I don’t.” 

“You might not like it, but this stuff is pretty good for you. Especially when you’re dehydrated.” Scylla held the bottle of coconut water up in front of her face until Raelle finally took it from her. 

She took another, longer, drink, wincing as it went down. “Good girl.” Said Scylla, and Raelle fought the shudder that ran along the length of her spine. 

“Can I talk you in to eating some of this?” Scylla reached on the floor beside her and picked up a half broken coconut shell full of pieces of snow white coconut flesh. Raelle pulled a face, but took a piece and popped it in to her mouth. 

“Only because I’m starving.” She grumbled with her mouth full. Raelle swallowed like she was eating broken glass. She forced a few pieces down before giving up. “God, I miss Taco Bell.” 

“It’s only been a day.” Scylla laughed at her. 

“Yeah, and I miss it. I have a problem, okay!” Raelle grinned as Scylla laughed again. Raelle liked the sound of it. 

“Is there a group for that? Like Taco Bell Anonymous?” Asked Scylla, feigning a serious expression that made Raelle crack up. 

“There is.” Raelle nodded, fighting back a giggle. “But it’s only on a Tuesday, so-”

“Rae, that is terrible!” Scylla groaned with a roll of her eyes and slapped at Raelle’s shoulder. Raelle barely knew the other girl, yet they were joking around like old friends. There was a connection there, something Raelle had first felt on the plane, when Scylla had held her hand during takeoff. 

Sobering up, their giggles dying down, Raelle said, “Seriously, though. I already feel much better. Thanks.” 

“Any time.” Scylla gave a casual shrug. Biting at the inside of her cheek, she added, “I can’t have you dying on me. It’d be a shame to lose all that beauty and potential.” 

A crimson blush spread over Raelle’s pale cheeks as she ducked her head. The moment didn’t last long, though. “Hey, can I get some coconut, too? I’m also beautiful, full of potential and fucking starving!” Hillary called out from the other end of the plane, reminding the pair they weren’t alone.

Scylla shook her head. “I’ll be back in a minute.” She stood and touched Raelle’s arm before making her way over to Hillary. She dropped the broken coconut shell on to Hillary’s lap with a scowl. 

“You’re killing my game here, Saint.” Scylla muttered so Raelle wouldn’t overhear her.

“Please!” Hillary scoffed with a mouth full of coconut, not bothering to be quiet about it. “If you had game you wouldn’t have dated Porter for two years.”

“That’s the last time I feed you.” Grumbled Scylla. “I’m sending Tally next time!” 

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Ramshorn.” Hillary showed her teeth in a predatory grin. 

Scylla shook her head. She glanced over her shoulder and found Raelle was lying down again. Her eyes were closed over as if she’d fallen back asleep. “What’s going on there, anyway?” Scylla asked, turning her attention back to Hilary. 

“With Collar? She clearly wants you-”

“With you and Tally… I heard she had a thing with Gerit last year. Tally’s sweet, if you want to be pissed at anyone take it out on your fiance.” 

Hilary gave a disinterested shrug. “Gerit and I are in an open relationship. I don’t care who he fucks.” 

“So why the games with Tally?” 

Hilary’s wolfish grin widened. “Because I can fuck who I want to too, and I want Craven.” 

Scylla shook her head again. She wouldn’t claim to understand Gerit and Hilary’s relationship. She knew they both came from High Atlantic families and there was a lot of pressure on them to get married. 

“Just be careful.” Sighed Scylla. “Tally’s friends will have your head on a stick if you hurt her.”

“I can take Bellweather.” Hilary scoffed. “And you seem to have Collar distracted. By the time somebody shows up for us I’ll have Tally Craven ready to jump right in to my bed.”  
  
  


* * *

  
“West is this way, dumbass!” Libba snapped at Abigail as the other girl dug her heels in, insisting they go the other way. They’d been walking for hours and, trudging deep through the undergrowth, had been turned around more than once already.

“It’s this way! We’re following the sun!” Abigail pointed up to where the sun shone in the middle of the clear blue sky; its blistering heat baking them like rotisserie chickens. 

“It’s going this way!” Libba pointed in the opposite direction. 

“Maybe it just looks like it is from down there, Shortstack!” Abigail shot back, the sweltering heat leaving her even more short tempered than usual. She turned her back on the shorter girl; which turned out to be a bad idea. 

Libba stalked up behind her, yanked on Abigail’s shoulder to spin her around to face her, and pushed her back against the nearest tree. Abigail’s body tensed, readying for a physical fight that never came. Instead, Libba crushed her mouth to Abigail’s in a fierce kiss that left them both breathless when she finally pulled away. 

“I’m still right.” Abigail grinned, amusement and lust lacing her voice in equal parts as Libba’s eyes narrowed on her. 

“Shut up…” Libba huffed, before wrapping her arms around the back of Abigail’s neck and kissing her again. Abigail went with it, eagerly kissing her girlfriend back. She dipped down, her hands finding the backs of Libba’s legs as she hoisted her up and flipped their positions, pinning the smaller girl up against the tree. 

The rough bark bit in to Libba’s back as she wrapped her legs around Abigail’s waist. Her lips curled up in a smirk. “I love it when you get rough, Bellweather, but we still need to find water…” She panted, overcome by a mixture of the searing kiss and the overbearing heat. 

“You started it!” Abigail growled, her lips moving to Libba’s neck, her teeth grazing over the other girl’s collar bone. Libba shivered, fighting the urge to take one of Abigail’s hands and push it into her pants. 

She arched her neck and licked her lips. “And I’m finishing it.”

“Hmm.” Muttered Abigail. She bit down on Libba’s shoulder, making her hiss out loud before putting her down again. “Keep telling yourself that, Swythe. And, FYI, we’re going this way.” 

Abigail took off in the direction she’d insisted on earlier, leaving Libba to collect herself and trail after her. They trudged on through the thick brush, growing hotter and hotter with each passing minute. 

They were two hours from the beach and their water bottles were running low. Libba took a small sip from hers, leaving less than a mouthful at the bottom. “You know, even if we find water, we’re still going to need food. We might have to resort to desperate measures…” 

“Shortest first!” Abigail scoffed, not batting an eyelid at Libba’s macabre joke. 

“Glory’s the shortest.” Libba rolled her eyes. “Besides, eating the shortest makes no sense, there’d be less meat. We’d want someone tall with lots of muscle, like Gerit or Porter.”

“Gerit gets my vote, but food isn’t the priority right now. We need water. Without that, we’re screwed. So quit yammering and keep a look out-” 

“Do you hear that?” Libba stopped in her tracks, sending Abigail crashing in to the back of her. 

“Hilarious.” Abigail rolled her eyes.

“No. I’m being serious.” Libba shook her head from side to side, her tight curls bouncing. “It’s coming from other there!” Libba pointed and took off without warning, breaking in to a sprint. 

“Libba!” Abigail called after the other girl as she disappeared through the trees. “Fuck…” She took off after her, catching up with ease thanks to her long legs and years of gruelling track practise. 

As she caught up to Libba, Abigail finally heard what it was the other girl had picked up on earlier; the sound of running water. She carried on running, overtaking Libba and leaving her behind as she ran towards the sound of the source. 

The surrounding trees and underbrush thinned out as Abigail burst out in to a clearing, and came face to face with a waterfall. The water cascaded from a cliff overhead, pooling in a basin below. Moments later - and panting for breath - Libba caught up with her. 

“Fuck yeah!” Abigail grinned triumphantly, standing with her hands on her hips as she took in the glorious sight in front of her. She’d never been so excited to see a waterfall before. She turned to see Libba’s reaction and found her pulling her shirt over her head. “What are you doing?” she frowned. 

“I’m taking a dip. It’s hot as hell out and we’ve been walking for hours.” Libba tossed her shirt aside and unbuttoned her shorts, pushing them down over her hips before stepping out of them. 

“The others are waiting-” 

“The others haven’t been hiking their asses off all afternoon! Come on, Bellweather, live a little!” Libba knocked her shoulder in to Abigail’s arm before taking a few steps back for a run up and cannonballing in to the water with a splash. 

Abigail bit the inside of her cheek in annoyance. They had no idea how deep the water even was. Libba - a competitive diver like Raelle - should have known better than to jump in to a body of water she knew nothing about.

Libba surfaced moments after going under the water, her hair plastered back against her face and a wide grin on her lips. “Get your ass in here, Bellweather! The water’s great!” 

Abigail grumbled to herself as she stripped off, neatly folding her clothes in a pile on the ground before she jumped in. Libba was right about the water. It was clear and cool, and felt as refreshing as a pitcher of iced tea on a long summer day. 

The basin at the bottom of the waterfall was about five metres across at its longest point and too deep for Abigail to touch the bottom standing. 

“We found the water…” Libba swam over to Abigail wearing a wolfish grin as she wrapped her arms around her neck. 

“We did.” Said Abigail, matching Libba’s grin. They’d been lovers long enough for Abigail to tell where this was going, so she wasn’t the least bit surprised when Libba took her hand and shoved it in to her underwear under the water.

Libba gasped in to her girlfriend’s mouth as Abigail stretched her long fingers, teasing them through Libba’s folds and along her entrance. “Abs…” Libba gave a breathy sigh, and it was the closest she would come to begging. 

Abigail was in a giving mood - finding the water had been a big win for them - so she didn’t draw it out as she slipped two fingers inside the other girl. Libba gave a gentle hiss, burying her face against Abigail’s shoulder as she stretched her open. 

Abigail gave her a moment to adjust before she curled her fingers and started moving them, drawing out raspy moans from the smaller girl. Libba clung to her, riding Abigail’s hand in the water while her clipped nails dug half moon crescent’s in to the tops of Abigail’s shoulders. 

Already worked up from their earlier tryst against the tree, it didn’t take long for Libba to come with a muffled whimper. She wrapped her legs around Abigail’s waist once Abigail pulled her hand out of her underwear, holding her close as they kissed.

“Fuck, I missed that… I missed you.” Said Libba, a rare admission coming from her post orgasm haze. She brought her forehead to rest against Abigail’s, breathing the other girl in while Abigail held them both afloat. 

Abigail could have stayed like that all day, but a nagging sense of duty made it impossible for her to enjoy the moment. The others were waiting on them. She said as much to Libba, who pulled away with a weary sigh. 

Abigail was right, though. The others were waiting on them and they had a two-hour hike back to the beach; not to mention the water still needed to be boiled and cooled before any of them could drink it. 

The pair climbed out of the water and pulled the empty plastic bottles from their backpacks to fill. Twenty bottles later, their packs were full and heavy. They carried their clothes under their arms while they walked, drying off in the early afternoon sun.

Despite the added burden of the weight of the water, and the sun still shinning intensely overhead, the journey back felt less oppressive. 

Even after the win of finding the water, Abigail’s mind was racing with would need to come next. “We’ll need to make two trips a day to have enough to drink. Morning and afternoon. We should set up a system, and we need to look for food. Maybe berries or-” 

“Easy, Robinson Crusoe!” Said Libba dismissively. “We’re not setting up house here. The water will get us through today. Let’s hope somebody shows up to help before we have to think about tomorrow.” 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks, sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, it's a little longer than the last one so hopefully that makes up for the wait! As ever, thanks for reading.

“God, I hate coconuts.” Byron let out a great sigh as he tossed aside the husk of the coconut he’d gorged on. Empty shells lay littered around the beech like paper cups after a frat party. He and the other boys had gone back with Tally to the spot she found the palm trees to fetch back as many as they could carry. 

“Could have fooled me, you just ate a whole one!” Scylla prodded his stomach with her elbow and Byron recoiled, slapping her arm away.

“Don’t, Scyl! I’ll be sick.” Byron held his stomach with a scowl. 

“Beats starving.” Scylla picked at what was left of her own coconut. After two days of plane snacks, it felt good to have something substantial on her stomach. She glanced over at Raelle, sitting under the shade of a tree and working away at a long stick. She seemed to be doing better since she’d eaten something. 

“Go.” 

“What?” Scylla turned back to find her twin glaring at her. 

“You know you want to go over there, so just go. I can entertain myself.” 

“I don’t know what-” 

“Scyl, you can’t hide anything from me. Go talk to her. I’ll keep Porter busy.” 

Scylla broke out in a grin before pressing a kiss to Byron’s cheek and standing up. “Love you, shit-head.” 

“Mm-hmm.” 

Scylla padded across the sand and came to a stop in front of Raelle. The other girl sat leaning against the thick trunk of a tree, running a jagged stone over the end of a long stick. She’d worked it to quite a point. 

“I know you hate coconut, but is cannibalism really the answer?” She asked, making Raelle squint up at her with a crooked smile that tugged at the faint scar on her left cheek. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll eat you third to last.” 

“Third to last?” Scylla took a seat beside her, nestling up against the tree so that their shoulders touched. “I guess Tally and Bellweather would be last, being your friends and all.”

“Oh, no.” Raelle shook her head. “Abigail would be fourth last, then you, then Tally and Glory.” 

“Really? Glory last? Is there something going on there?” Scylla’s eyes twinkled in amusement as Raelle’s cheeks coloured and she hastily shook her head. 

“No, uh, nothing like that.” She laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear as she ducked her head. “It’s just, she’s so damn nice, you know? She’d be the hardest to kill. She’d probably offer to season herself…” Raelle trailed off, grinning as Scylla cracked up laughing. 

“You have put way too much thought in to this!” Scylla bumped her shoulder in to Raelle’s. “Like a scary amount.” 

“Don’t worry. That’s what this is for.” Raelle put down the stone she was holding and held up the pointed stick for Scylla to inspect. 

“For murdering us all in our sleep? Good to know, Collar.” 

“No!” Raelle’s laughter lit up her face. “It’s for fishing. Me and my Pops fish all the time. I’m hoping I’ll be able to catch something for supper.”

“Can I watch?” Asked Scylla, genuinely curious to see Raelle in action with the spear. 

“Watch, no? But you can help.” Raelle stood up, clutching her spear in one hand and offering the other to Scylla. Scylla eagerly took it, and the two of them made their way down to the water. 

Raelle led them to a shallow rock pool. She kicked off her tennis shoes and waded in up to her knees. Scylla removed her hiking boots and rolled up the legs of her pants before she followed suit.

“Will anything even come this close?” She asked, peering over Raelle’s shoulder as the other girl scanned the water. 

“Careful not to cast a shadow.” Said Raelle, holding a hand out to keep Scylla back, her gaze laser focused. “It’s warm out, that brings the fish in close. It’s mid-tide too, that’s the best time to catch ‘em.” 

“You know your stuff.” Scylla grinned, impressed by the other girl’s knowledge. 

“We spear fished in Hawaii a few summers ago, me, my Pop and…” Raelle trailed off. Her mother was still a painful subject. She would have loved to see Raelle get in to the prestigious Fort Salem Academy, but she’d died before Raelle have been offered the scholarship.

Going away for school had been a relief of sorts, a chance for Raelle to run from her grief. Her new friends had soon learned not to ask her about her mom. Scylla didn’t know any better, but she didn’t press. She recognised the pain on Raelle’s face. She and Byron had lost their own parents at a young age. 

“Spear fishing in Hawaii, that’s a little different to this.” Said Scylla, picking up where Raelle trailed off. The other girl let out a sigh of relief when Scylla didn’t press her to finish.

“Uh, yeah. No bait, no scuba gear and uh… no spear gun.” Raelle gave an easy laugh. Scylla liked the sound of it. “We’ll do what we can, but it won’t be anywhere as easy as noodling catfish back home. I had this huge sucker right up to my elbow once-” 

Raelle caught herself, remembering who she was talking to. Scylla wasn’t a scholarship kid like her. She and Byron came from privilege. She probably didn’t want to hear about Raelle spending her weekends knee deep in water, sticking her arm in to a catfish hole.

Raelle blushed, suddenly self-conscious about herself in a way she hadn’t been since she first arrived at Fort Salem. 

“Now that’s something I’d pay to see.” Scylla grinned, and Raelle’s awkwardness melted in an instant. 

“Maybe when we get back?” 

“I’d like that.” Scylla nodded, biting the inside of her bottom lip. 

“Me too.” 

Turning her attention back to the task at hand, Raelle focused on the water again, watching the breaks in the waves for any sign of a fish. After a few painstaking minutes, she finally caught a flash of colour. Swiftly, Raelle brought her makeshift spear crashing down in to the water.

Scylla cheered as Raelle pulled the spear back, a bright red fish flailing on the end. “Is it edible?” She asked, watching as Raelle wrestled the fish off the end of the spear. The other girl slammed it against the rocks and Scylla grimaced. “Was that necessary?” 

Raelle winced. “Uh, yeah. You don’t want it to suffer… and, yes, you can eat it. I think it’s a snapper. He’s a fair size, but we’ll need at least another to feed everybody.” Raelle dropped the fish in to the ice bucket she’d filled with seawater to keep it fresh. “Do you want to try?” 

“Me? No, I can’t-” Scylla shook her head, but Raelle thrust the spear in to her hands, anyway. 

“Sure you can. I’ll help.” Raelle stepped behind Scylla, one hand finding her hip and the other guiding Scylla’s hold on the spear. “Hold it nice and tight, like this.” Raelle squeezed her hand and Scylla tightened her grip. 

She took a stuttering breath as Raelle pressed up behind her, raising her arm back. “Hold it high and steady, and try not to cast a shadow on the water…” Raelle murmured in her ear, like the fish might overhear her and get spooked if she spoke too loud. 

“Now what?” Scylla asked, her own voice little more than a whisper. Her eyes darting back to glimpse at Raelle, she found the other girl’s lips curled up in a grin. 

“Now we wait.”

Seconds ticked in to minutes as Raelle’s fingers seemed to sear themselves in to the strip of bare flesh where Scylla’s shirt rode up from her hips. Scylla could barely focus on what she was meant to be doing. 

“There!” Said Raelle. Her hand still covering Scylla’s on the shaft of the spear, she brought it down, the point piercing in to another bright red snapper fist; this one twice the size of the first.

“Yes!” Scylla jumped up and down, splashing Raelle as the other girl pulled the fish off the end of the spear. She smashed it off the rock and dropped it in to the bucket, turning around just in time for Scylla to throw her arms around her neck. “We did it!” 

“It was all you, Superstar!” Raelle grinned, her hands awkwardly settling on Scylla’s hips with the spear still clutched in one. Their laughter died down as their eyes met. Scylla dropped her gaze, her tongue running over her bottom lip as she stared at Raelle’s mouth. 

Raelle bit her own lip as she tilted her head to the side and moved in to kiss the other girl. They sprung apart as they heard a commotion from the beach. Raelle ended up dropping the spear and scrambled to grab hold of it before the waves could wash it away. 

“Almost lost it.” Raelle forced a laugh, her cheeks growing the same colour as the snapper fish.

“Yeah, almost.” Scylla ducked her head before turning her attention back to the beach to see what all the noise was about. She spotted Abigail and Libba approaching the plane, dragging their heavy backpacks through the sand. “Looks like they had some luck.” 

“Glad someone did.” Raelle muttered under her breath. Picking up the ice bucket, she said to Scylla, “We should head over.” 

“Yeah.” Scylla agreed. “Yeah, we should… What happened to their clothes?” 

Further up the beach, Abigail and Libba finished heaving their backpacks across the sand and collapsed down beside them, both panting for breath and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. The walk back, in the mid-afternoon heat with no drinking water and their backpacks full, had been worse than the trek there. 

“Nice work!” Tally grinned as she dropped to inspect the contents of Abigail’s backpack. “Looks like you two can work together.” 

“Yeah, no one is as surprised as me.” Abigail rolled her eyes. 

“What happened to your clothes?” Raelle asked what the others were all thinking as she and Scylla approached the group gathered under the wing of the plane. 

“We had to have a way to find our way back to the waterfall.” Answered Libba, sprawled out on the sand wearing only her bra and underwear. Abigail was in the same condition. 

“There’s a waterfall?” Tally perked up. “That’s great!” 

“Uh, huh. Super.” Libba grunted, while Abigail scoffed and kicked at her foot. 

“It’s a few miles inland. We’ll show you guys tomorrow… is that coconut?” Abigail reached for a coconut half lying in the sand and Tally’s eyes widened. 

“Oh, yeah, we found coconuts!” 

“And we got fish.” Raelle held up the ice bucket to show the others her and Scylla’s spoils for the day. 

“Sweet!” Libba reached over and snatched the coconut half out of Abigail’s hand before she could snap off a bit to eat. 

“Hey!” 

“Losers, weepers, Bellweather.” Libba flipped her off, tucking in to the fruit with much delight. 

“Here.” Gerit picked up what was left of his from the sand beside him and handed it over to Abigail. 

“Thanks.” She replied gruffly. Ordinarily she wouldn’t have taken anything from him, but she was exhausted and starving and coconut had never looked so good. She and Libba tucked in while Tally and Glory set about unloading their backpacks for them.

“We can boil the water in the bottles if we sit them in a bucket of water over the fire with the lids off.” Scylla suggested. 

“Like a sous vide!” Tally agreed with a nod. 

“I’m out.” Raelle pulled the two fish out of the bucket and handed it over to Scylla. “I’ll stick to what I know.” 

“I’ll clean this out and fill it up.” Scylla grinned, watching Raelle saunter away to gut the fish. Her smile slipped as she noticed Porter break away from Byron to follow her.

“Hey.” Raelle looked up as a shadow fell over her. She found Porter standing in front of her, holding something out. “I thought this might help.” 

“Is that a pocket knife?” Raelle squinted against the mid-day sun, trying to work out what Porter was holding. As she took it from him, she pulled out the blade and confirmed what it was. “How the hell did you get that on a plane?” 

“I didn’t.” Porter rubbed at the back of his neck, which was already bright red from the tropical sun. “I took it off the guy on the plane. The steward. I didn’t think he needed it anymore… want some help? I know my way around a fish.” 

“Uh…” Raelle glanced over at Scylla, who was doing everything she could not to stare at the two of them. “Sure. Pull up a pew.” Raelle patted the sand beside her and Porter took a seat. 

She was already through removing the scales from the first snapper fish - using the same stone she’d carved the spear with - so Porter took the other one and picked up the stone. 

“So… do you fish much back home?” He asked, making conversation as the two of them got to work, Raelle working on gutting her fish. She could count the words they’d exchanged before using the fingers on one hand. 

“Yeah, used to me and my pops… You?” 

“Same. My Dad and I go whenever we get the chance.” Porter finished scraping the scales off the second snapper and looked over at the fire, where Scylla and the other girls were busy boiling the water. Raelle’s stomach clenched as she followed his gaze. 

“Scylla helped you catch these?” 

“Yeah.” Raelle repeated, like a broken record, her attention fixed on the knife in her hand as she sliced through the fish just the way her pops showed her, gutting it and removing the bones. 

“Is she… is she doing okay?” Porter asked, his voice strained. Raelle looked up and found him scrutinising her. She shifted uncomfortably and gave a shrug. 

“I… I guess? You should probably ask her.” Said Raelle, giving another shrug. Porter nodded, his eyes straying to Scylla again.

“Yeah, we’re not… we’re not really talking right now.” Porter rubbed at his neck again. “We broke up recently. It’s still a little weird.” 

“Right.” Said Raelle, because she didn’t know what else to say. 

“You two seem… close.” Porter wrung his hands together, struggling with what he was about to say next. “Could you… Scylla likes to act tough, like nothing gets to her, you know? But that’s not true. She’s sensitive…” 

“Porter, I’m sorry, but you should really have this conversation with Scylla-” 

“No.” Porter shook his head and let out a sigh as he stood. “I’m not saying this very well, but… just look after her, okay?”

Once again, Raelle didn’t know what to say. So she just nodded dumbly at him. “Thanks.” He said, looking everywhere but at the blonde. Raelle couldn’t imagine how much pride he must have swallowed to ask that of her. “Okay then. Guess I’ll see ya around.” He took off, leaving Raelle to it. 

She was almost finished with the fish when Scylla came over to sit with her. “Hey.” 

“Hey.” Raelle brushed her hair out of her face with the back of her hand, mindful of the fish guts and scales stuck to her fingers. “Sorry, I’m kind of disgusting right now.” 

“No, you’re not.” Scylla shook her head, a playful smile on her lips. “So… what did Porter want?” 

“Uh, to give me this.” Raelle held up the knife Porter gave her. “He got it from the plane.” 

“Cool… Did he… did he say anything about me?” Scylla asked, doing her best to sound casual about it. 

“Uh, no. No, he didn’t mention you.” Raelle lied. She finished spearing the two fish on long sticks to cook them. “I should go wash up. Can you take these over to Tally for me?”

“Sure. Just don’t take too long, okay?” 

“Okay.” Raelle grinned, almost tripping over her own feet as she stood up. “See you in a bit.”

She did her best not to make a fool of herself again on the way down to the water, conscious of Scylla’s eyes burning in to the back of her head.   
  
Kneeling by the water’s edge, Raelle washed the grime from her hands, hoping the smell of the fish wouldn’t linger on them. Smelling like a downtown fish market was hardly attractive. She gave Porter’s knife a rinse too, before snapping it shut again and pocketing it for sake keeping.  
  
By the time she finished and rejoined the others by the fire, the fish were cooked through. Tally had collected up some coconut shells to use as bowls and was dishing them out. Two fish wouldn’t go far to feed ten of them. Raelle would have to catch more tomorrow if nobody came for them by then.  
  
It was too late now. It growing late and they were losing the light. Raelle found it hard enough to fish with a stick in the daylight, never mind at dusk.   
  
“I’ll take this in for Hillary.” Tally stood up, carrying a bowl of fish and a bottle of water.   
  
“Let Gerit.” Said Abigail, glaring at him as he sat stuffing his face.   
  
“Huh?” He looked up at hearing his name. “Oh, sure. I can take it.”   
  
“No need.” They all looked up as Hillary appeared at the opening in the back of the plane. Gerit stood up to help her as she hobbled towards them. She sat beside Tally on one of the logs by the fire.   
  
“Is this mine?” Hillary took the bowl from Tally. She picked at it, making no real effort to eat anything. The ten of them sat around the fire, eating and chatting as the last of the light faded around them.

Tally brought up the sleeping arrangements as the night grew colder. “So, there’s only six seats and there’s ten of us now. Some people are going to have to share.” 

“I’m not sharing. Anyone touches this leg and I’ll kill them.” Said Hillary, in a very matter-of-fact way. 

“Can I share with you, Tal?” Asked Glory. 

“Sure. What about everyone else?” Tally looked at the others as they all exchanged uncertain glances.

“I’m fine to share again tonight if you are?” Scylla said to Raelle, avoiding the way Porter kept trying to catch her eye. 

Raelle shrugged, playing down the butterflies she felt fluttering around in her stomach. “Sure. That works for me.” 

“Bunkies?” Byron asked Porter. The other boy gave a dejected shrug. It was obvious Byron wasn’t his first choice out of the Ramshorn twins. 

“Great!” Tally clapped her hands excitedly. She was in her element when she was organising things. “Okay, that leaves… Abigail, Libba and Gerit and two chairs-” 

“Shotgun a chair to myself!” Gerit shot his hand in the air before either of the girls could say anything. 

“Whatever.” Abigail rolled her shoulders with a sigh. “I’m so tired I could sleep on a bed of nails. Sharing with Swythe is only marginally worse.”

“Bite me, Bellweather.” Libba growled at her, her eyes already closed where she sat across from Abigail, leaning against the log Glory sat on. 

Raelle knew how she felt. She was struggling to keep her own eyes open. They’d all had a rough couple of days and it was catching up on them. She yawned with a stretch, offering Scylla a sheepish smile as she nudged her shoulder with her hand. “Sorry.” 

“It’s fine.” The other girl sat with her arms wrapped around herself, shivering despite the heat coming from the fire. “You look tired. Maybe you should turn in.” Her gaze lingered on Raelle, and the blonde found herself nodding in agreement. 

“Yeah, maybe I should… Goodnight guys.” Raelle stood and was met with a chorus of responses from the others. She didn’t need to turn back to know Scylla was following her in to the plane. 

“How do you want to do this?” Raelle asked as she picked up her blanket from the seat she and Scylla shared as a bed last night. The previous night they’d both crashed out with little thought, but tonight was different. Tonight they were both wide awake and consciously choosing to share the seat. 

Scylla knelt by her suitcase and took out a hooded sweatshirt. It was bright yellow and over-sized, the sleeves coming down over her hands. She pulled it over her head, pushing the hood back with a familiar grin. 

“I don’t think top and tail is going to work in this situation, so… someone needs to be the little spoon.” Scylla teased, her expression downright mischievous. Raelle bit back a grin.

“Well, as the smallest, I think that should be you.” She said, giving back as good as she got. Scylla pursed her lips, her eyes darkening as she crossed her arms with an indignant huff. 

“You hardly tower over me, Rae!” 

“I’m still taller.” Raelle shrugged. She climbed on to the seat and shuffled on to her side, her back facing the arm rest and leaving just enough room for Scylla to climb in beside her. She did, wiggling far too much in Raelle’s opinion as she settled in. 

“It’s a good thing the school pulled out for a private plane, otherwise these seats would be so small we’d be lying on top of each other…” Raelle joked, her breath tickling Scylla’s ear because of how close they lay pressed together in the dark. She lay the hand that wasn’t tucked under her head on her thigh, hesitant to reach out and touch Scylla anymore than she already was.

“Sounds cosy.” Scylla replied. Reaching back, she took Raelle’s hand and pulled it across her stomach. “Goodnight, Rae.” 

Behind her, Raelle bit back a smile as she buried her face in the seat cushion. “’Night, Scyl.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, this is a short chapter but it's Raylla focused and the next one will be longer to make up for it. As ever, thanks for reading!

  
When Anacostia had assigned Raelle and Scylla as roommates two days ago for their trip, Raelle hadn’t expected to be sharing a makeshift bed with the other girl, but there they were. Raelle sighed in the dark. When reclined, the leather seats were just wide enough for the two of them to lie side by side, but they were pressed so close it would have been hard to slide a piece of paper between them. 

At least Byron had pointed out the bottoms of the seats lifted as footrests, allowing them to lie fully stretched out; Raelle had spent the previous night curled up in the foetal position with her legs dangling over the edge of the seat. Despite the relative comfort of the plush leather seat and the high thread count of the blanket wrapped around her, Raelle couldn’t sleep. 

Her body was exhausted, but her mind raced, refusing to let her drift off. The plane creaked and groaned around her, metal shifting on the sand, and every little noise had Raelle on edge with the irrational fear that the wreckage of the plane might blow up in some Hollywood style explosion. 

Her sleeping companion didn’t help matters much, either. Having Scylla pressed against her front, her body soft and warm, did little to ease Raelle’s racing thoughts. Raelle couldn’t remember the last time she’d shared a bed with another girl. 

There’d been flings at school. Raelle was a senior, a star athlete, and something of a charmer. Getting girls in to her bed was hardly a challenge; They just never usually spent the night was all. 

Raelle gave up on sleeping with another laboured sigh and gingerly sat up, slipping her arm out from under Scylla’s and leaving the sleeping girl behind as she crept out of the darkened plane. 

It was lighter out on the beach with an almost full moon shining overhead and casting everything in an eerie monochrome glow. Raelle padded further down the beach and made her way up on to the small sand bluff overlooking the water. It would be a great place to dive, except for the jagged outcrop of rocks sticking out of the water below. 

Raelle drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. It was colder out than she’d expected, with an icy breeze blowing in from the ocean, bringing with it the tang of salt each time she inhaled. 

The inky black water seemed to stretch on forever, bleeding in to the vast cloudless sky in the distance until Raelle could no longer tell them apart except for the twinkling stars that littered the night sky. 

It reminded Raelle of being back home in the Cession, where the light pollution wasn’t as bad as it was in the city and a young Raelle had grown up camping out in the woods under an open sky, learning the constellations off by heart.

She was tracing Ursa Major with her mind’s eye when her blanket from back on the plane found its ways around her shoulders. Raelle looked to the side just in time to see Scylla take a seat beside her, gripping her own blanket around herself like a cape. Her hair was tied back in a messy bun, strands of it falling out at odd angles, and her pale cheeks flushed from the bite of the wind. 

“Can’t sleep?” She asked softly, her voice almost swallowed up by the roar of the ocean as waves crashed against the rocks down below. 

“No.” Raelle shook her head, pulling the offered blanket around her shoulders with a sheepish smile. She hoped the other girl couldn’t guess the reason for her insomnia. 

“Me either.” Said Scylla, mirroring Raelle’s position and pulling her knees up to her chest. Raelle had been pretty sure Scylla was asleep when she’d slipped out, but now she wasn’t so sure. Had she been feigning being asleep, aware of every hitch of Raelle’s breath and desperate sigh as they lay pressed together?

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Said Scylla, her gaze fixed on the water and the stars. Raelle nodded, her eyes on Scylla. 

“Sure is.” She said, her voice painfully tight and breaking like a teenage boy experiencing puberty. Scylla turned her head, caught Raelle looking at her, and ducked her head with a bashful smile. 

Raelle cleared her throat as she fixed her attention on the horizon. “So, um… how long were you dating Porter?” She asked, trying to change the conversation to something safer; and failing spectacularly at it. 

“Two years, give or take.” Scylla gave a shrug of her shoulders like it wasn’t that big of a deal. 

“Two years?” Scoffed Raelle. “Wow, my longest relationship was a month… Guess that says a lot about me, huh?” She joked, falling back on the kind of self-deprecating humour that had protected her from heartache in the past. 

“I think that says more about the people you dated.” Said Scylla, knocking her shoulder playfully in to Raelle’s with a smirk. “Specifically that they were idiots.” It was Raelle’s turn to duck her head as a blush spread over her cheeks. 

She bit the inside of her cheek. “What about before Porter? How many guys’ hearts have you broken? Or girls’?” Raelle grinned, recalling Scylla’s comment about being bisexual; and maybe testing the waters at the same time. 

“Can I be honest with you?” Scylla asked, and Raelle felt her heart sink. 

“Always.” She said, swallowing the lump that had formed at the back of her throat. 

“I’ve never actually been with a girl.” Scylla wrapped her arms around herself tighter, looking away from Raelle as she spoke. She turned back to judge the other girl’s reaction, mistaking Raelle’s silence for unease. “I mean, I’ve kissed a few.”

“Show off.” Raelle grinned, knocking her shoulder in to Scylla’s in an attempt to keep things light. It worked. She could see the relief written all over Scylla’s face as she relaxed, leaning in to Raelle’s shoulder. 

“Some people can be weird about that kind of thing. Like I’m some kind of fake bisexual because of it, dipping my toes in the other side of the sexuality pool.” Scylla laughed, still biting the inside of her lip.

“I don’t think that.” Said Raelle and the air in the small space between them became thick with expectation. Scylla’s eyes dipped to Raelle’s mouth. Something told Raelle she had to make the first move if anything was going to happen. So she did. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to Scylla’s, kissing the other girl every chance to pull away if she’d read the signals wrong. 

Scylla’s lips moved against hers, kissing her back for what felt like a painfully brief moment as she pulled back with a frown. Raelle’s heart sank at the sight of it. “I… I’ve changed my mind… I think I’m straight.”

“W-what?” Raelle spluttered and Scylla burst out laughing at the confused look she wore. 

“Oh my god, your face! I’m kidding!” She said, adding the last part just in case Raelle had taken her seriously. Raelle stuck her bottom lip out in a pout which only made Scylla laugh even harder. She wiped at the tears in the corner of her eye while Raelle sulked. 

“That wasn’t funny! You got me thinking I was a terrible kisser or something!” Raelle huffed and Scylla moved to cup her cheek, kissing her for a second time before apologising. 

“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist… and you are definitely not a terrible kisser.” To prove her point, Scylla moved in for another kiss, to which Raelle obliged. 

She couldn’t stay mad at the other girl for long; Not when Scylla’s tongue made its way past Raelle’s parted lips, deepening the kiss while her free hand tangled itself in Raelle’s hair, pulling her in closer.

Raelle woke to the sound of gently lapping waves and Scylla’s steady breaths. The sun had not long dragged itself over the distant horizon, but the air was already pleasantly warm against her bare skin where the blankets she and Scylla were wrapped in had slipped down. 

Raelle lay on her back with Scylla’s head resting on her chest and the other girl’s arm draped over her stomach. She closed her eyes over, savouring the feeling of Scylla’s body warm and flush against her own. 

Her eyes opened again as Scylla stirred, the hand clenching a fistful of Raelle’s shirt, tightening and then relaxing as the other girl came too. Raelle took a deep breath, preparing herself for rejection as Scylla pulled away. Sitting up, the other girl rubbed at her eyes and stretched. Her eyes landed on Raelle and the corners of her mouth turned up in a lazy smile. “Hey.” 

“Hey.” Said Raelle, still holding her breath as she shifted on to her side, propping her head up with her hand. “Um, about last night, it’s okay if you regret it. Like we don’t have to talk about-” Scylla dipped her head and cut off the blonde’s rambling with a kiss.

Amusement laced her smile as she pulled back, and Raelle’s mouth tried to follow. “I don’t regret a thing. I like you… and I like kissing you.” 

“That’s something we have common then.” Said Raelle, sitting up to claim Scylla’s lips again in a kiss that left them both breathless when they finally parted. Scylla’s cheeks were coloured with a blush and her hair was falling out of its messy bun; She looked good for someone who was starting her third day of being stranded on a remote desert island. 

“I really like you, Raelle.” She bit down on her lip, her expression anxious as she watched for the other girl’s reaction. Raelle broke out in a grin.

“I like you too.” 

“But-” 

Raelle cringed internally. She wasn’t used to putting herself out there with girls. She hadn’t been lying when she’d told Scylla about her longest relationship lasting a month. That had been years ago, when her first crush asked her out in middle school; and broke her heart less than four weeks later. 

Raelle preferred to play the field rather than risk having her heart broken again by something more serious, and things with Scylla definitely felt like they could lead somewhere serious. She steeled herself for the polite brush off; the ‘it’s-not-you-it’s-me-speech’ that was surely coming. 

Scylla surprised her, though. “Porter and I only broke up a few weeks ago and I don’t want to rub this in his face… whatever this is between us.” She looked as uncertain of where they stood as Raelle did. 

“Of course!” Said Raelle, just relieved not to be getting the brush off from the literal dark-haired goddess before her. “I… I get it. Porter’s a nice guy, I don’t want to see him hurt, either.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Scylla reached for Raelle’s hands, taking them in her own, her thumbs running over the pulse points on the insides of Raelle’s wrists and sending her heart-rate sky rocketing.   
  
“I really do like you… and I’d like to get to know you better. Maybe we could go out sometime? When we’re not stuck on this damn island.” Scylla laughed.   
  
“Yeah." said Raelle. "Yeah, I’d like that.”


	11. Chapter 11

  
Byron was awake and sitting by the smouldering fire when Raelle and Scylla returned to their camp. He looked up from feeding the fire with sticks to grin at them. “Well, look what the cat dragged in. You two must have been up early… or late.” Scylla glared at him as Raelle sheepishly rubbed at the back of her neck. He ignored his sister and kept pressing. “I’ve been awake at least an hour and you two were already gone.” 

“We were watching the sunset.” Said Raelle, a deep blush colouring her cheeks. 

“How romantic.” Said Byron, his grin morphing in to a smirk. Between the wry comment and the smug smile, Raelle could see the resemblance to his twin — beyond their dark hair and striking good looks. Raelle flushed, her cheeks growing hotter. 

“I, uh, I’m going to go change. See you in a bit.” She flashed a sheepish smile at Scylla before disappearing in to the wreckage of the plane to change out of the clothes she’d been wearing for two days straight. 

Scylla waited until they were alone to round on her brother, slapping him around the ear. “What the fuck, Byron? That was so rude!” 

“It wasn’t rude!” Scoffed Byron. “I was just stating the obvious. A morning stroll to watch the sunrise is very romantic… and there’s clearly something going on between you two.”

“Nothing is going on between us.” Lied Scylla. Byron rolled his eyes at her. His twin was an open book to him — one with well-worn pages and a crease down the spine. 

“Whatever. She’s cute.” 

Scylla bit the inside of her cheek as she took a seat beside him on the log he was sitting on. “She is.” Scylla agreed, matching her brother’s smirk. It faltered as she glanced at the fuselage where the others were sleeping. “Don’t tell Porter.” 

“Please, I’m not a sadist! The poor guy’s pride has been hurt enough!” 

Scylla frowned. “That’s not fair, By! I didn’t love him anymore, and… and I didn’t want to hurt him by stringing him along. He deserved better than that… Better than me.” 

“There’s no better than you, Scyl.” Byron pressed a kiss to her forehead. “That’s why he’s hurting so much… but Collar seems nice. Plus she’s tiny! If she hurts you it’ll be easy to kick her ass-” 

”Byron!” Scylla slapped her twin around the head again, biting back a smile. 

Raelle came back out of the plane wearing a clean pair of board shorts and another tank top, she’d ditched her shoes and swapped them for flip-flops. Scylla did her best not to let her eyes linger on the other girl’s bare arms and legs. 

Later, the trio were laughing as Byron recounted a story about six-year-old Scylla trying to adopt a wild coyote - which she mistook for a dog - when Porter stepped out of the plane and joined them by the fire. Scylla fell quiet, guilt washing over her in waves as Porter took in how close she and Raelle were sitting. She unconsciously shuffled away, putting some distance between them. 

“Hey man, what’s up?” Byron greeted him, trying to quell the growing tension in the air. 

“Hey.” Porter replied with a nod, and - despite Byron’s best efforts - an awkward silence fell over the group. For once Byron was at a loss for something to say, so he went back to poking at the fire with a stick while Scylla looked like she’d rather be anywhere else. 

The uneasy silence continued until Abigail and Libba came out of the plane to join them. “Ugh, I can’t believe I had to sleep next to Swythe! Her fat ass took up nearly the whole seat!” Abigail grumbled as she took a seat on the log opposite Raelle and Scylla’s.

“I kept to my half! You’re the one who never stopped moving all night!” Sneered Libba, keeping up their act. “You’re welcome to sleep on the floor tonight, Bellweather.” 

“Hell no! If anyone is sleeping on the floor, it’s you!” 

Scylla leaned in close to whisper in Raelle’s ear while the other two girls carried on bickering, “Those two should just get married already.” She laughed, making Raelle snicker. 

Porter stood up and avoided looking at his ex-girlfriend. “I’m going to go get us some more coconuts for breakfast.” 

An hour later most of the group were awake and sat around the fire eating the coconuts Porter had found. Glory was the only exception. She was collecting all the empty water bottles from around the camp. They were running low on water. Someone would need to fetch more. 

Raelle volunteered. “I’ll go on the water run. I want to check out the river that feeds the waterfall, maybe see if there are any fish in it.” 

“I’ll come with you.” Scylla offered, just as Raelle hoped. It would give them a chance to talk without worrying about Porter’s feelings. He was a nice guy and Raelle didn’t want to see him hurt, but she also wasn’t going to pass up a chance with Scylla.

“I am not making that trip again so soon.” Abigail sighed. Her calves were still aching from the day before. “Just follow the scraps of cloths tied to the trees. They’ll lead you right there. It’s a huge ass waterfall, you can’t miss it.” 

“Good to know.” Said Raelle. She disappeared in to the plane to fetch her shoes and her fishing spear. Scylla followed her. 

“Hey, you don’t mind if I come with you, do you?” She asked, something akin to uncertainty flashing over her expression. 

“Of course not.” Said Raelle. She glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, stepped in close to the other girl and kissed her. Scylla eagerly kissed her back, her fingers tangling in Raelle’s hair. 

“Oh… sorry.” The pair jumped apart as Tally appeared at the jagged opening of the plane. She didn’t know where to look as she glanced up at the ceiling, ignoring the deep blush on Scylla’s cheeks and the look of pain on Raelle’s face. “I, uh… I just needed the first aid kit. Hillary’s bandage needs changed.” 

Raelle walked over to where the first aid kit sat beside Tally’s seat, picked it up and tossed it at the other girl. “Anything else?” She asked, giving her best friend a pointed look. 

“No.” Tally shook her head, biting back a grin. “No, I’m good… As you were.” She turned and took off, leaving the two girls in private.

Tally walked back over to the fire and took a seat beside Hillary. She wordlessly unwound the old dressing and replaced it with a new one. Raelle and Scylla were back by the time she finished. 

“We’re ready to go. What’s everyone else doing today?” Asked Raelle. They all needed to pull their weight if they were going to survive until a rescue party showed up. 

“I thought I’d go look for some berries and stuff. We need more than just fish and coconuts to live on, and there are plenty of tropical plants that can be used for medicine. Soursop, Saragundi, Noni, Snakewood-”

“And you know this how?” Abigail asked, giving the other girl a scrutinising look. Hillary responded with a sour look, as if answering Abigail’s question were beneath her.

“Her mom is a chemist and her dad is a botanist.” Scylla answered for her. “Her dad worked with my parents.” She explained as Abigail turned her questioning gaze on her.

Their parents had been close, and she and Byron had known Hillary since they were kids. Hillary’s mom had pulled some strings to get the twins in to the prestigious Fort Salem Academy after the accident that took their parents’ lives. 

“You can barely walk, let alone traipse through the jungle!” Said Tally, raising her objections to Hillary’s plan. 

“My leg is healing fine.” Shrugged Hillary. “You’re a farm girl, you must know your plants. Get me a stick to walk with and come with me.” She said it like a challenge. That might have worked with Abigail or Raelle, but not with Tally. 

“You shouldn’t be putting weight on your leg. What if your stitches burst?” 

“Then you can put them back in, can’t you?” Hillary shot her a smirk, like it was already a full gone conclusion Tally was coming with her. The other girl relented with a sigh. 

“Fine, but we’re taking it slow and the first sign you’re in pain we’re coming back!” 

“Don’t worry, Baby, I can deal with a little pain.” Hillary winked at her and Tally’s cheeks reddened. Beside Hillary, Gerit bristled. 

He said, “Hillary, lay off her, will you? I’ll come with you guys.” Hillary’s expression soured. Her plans for Tally hadn’t involved her fiance. 

“Me and Byron can get more coconuts?” Suggested Porter. He didn’t try to invite himself to go fetch water with the girls. He looked like he’d rather be anywhere other than around his ex. 

“I’ll collect seaweed. It’s full of nutrients and we can boil it or dry it out like jerky.” Said Glory. 

Hillary’s eyes lit up. “You shouldn’t go off alone. Gerit will go with you, won’t you Ger?”

“Why doesn’t Tally help Glory and I’ll come with you?” Gerit glared at his fiancee. He knew exactly what she was up to and he wasn’t about to let her hurt Tally; she’d been thought enough because of him. 

“Because Tally knows the difference between a herb and her own asshole, unlike you.” Hillary answered with a sickly sweet smile. “You help Glory, and Tally will come with me. Right, Tally?” 

“I, uh… Sure.” Tally relented. She could see exactly what Hillary was trying to pull, but the other girl was right; Tally had the most experience in plants and wildlife from a childhood spent growing up on a farm. 

“Why am I getting lumped with Swythe again?” Abigail grumbled. Libba thought she was laying it on a little thick, but the others didn’t seem to pick up on it. 

“You guys should take the morning off, get some more sleep. You had a long day yesterday, you’ve earned it.” Raelle said, while pulling on one of the backpacks full of empty water bottles. Scylla took the other one. 

“Oh.” Abigail’s face lit up. “In that case, fine by me.” 

“Okay, everyone. We’ve all got our tasks.” Said Raelle. “We should work through the morning and try to get some sleep this afternoon when it gets too hot. We’ll get more done at night when it’s cold.” 

“Good idea.” Agreed Porter.

Byron rolled his eyes. “Someone’s been watching too much ‘Survivor’.” He said and regretted it the moment Scylla’s elbow connected with his stomach. Raelle bit back a chuckle at the sight of the twins fighting. 

Byron’s assessment was a fair one. Raelle used to watch a lot of ‘Survivor’ with her Dad. That’s how she knew she was right about working when it was cooler. They’d use up a lot less water that way. 

“Okay, we’ll meet back here at noon, when the sun’s in the middle of the sky.” Raelle pointed up at the ball of fire hanging in the East. 

“Everyone be careful.” Said Tally, looking at Raelle in particular before they all set off their separate ways. 

That left Abigail and Libba alone in the camp. Abigail turned to her with a smirk once the last of the others were out of sight. “Want to go back to bed?”

“That depends, do you plan on sleeping?” Asked Libba.

“No.”  
  
Libba grinned, getting to her feet. “Then what are we waiting for?”

* * *

  
  


“Don’t you think it’s weird?” Asked Scylla as she and Raelle followed the scraps of cloth tied to the surrounding trees, they could hear the waterfall up ahead, the sound of rushing water cascading over rocks, but they couldn’t yet see it.

“What is?” Raelle glanced over her shoulder at Scylla and found the other girl had paused to examine a scrap of cloth.

“It looks like they started with their pants. Wouldn’t it make more sense to use their t-shirts?” 

Raelle shrugged. She had put little thought in to it, her focus was on finally getting to the waterfall. They’d been trekking through the dense undergrowth of the jungle for the better part of two hours.

“Maybe they went swimming and already had their clothes off?” She suggested. “I wouldn’t blame them, it’s hot as hell out here.” She wiped at her brow with the back of her hand. Even in shorts and a tank top, she felt like she was wearing too much. 

“Maybe.” Said Scylla. She picked up the pace, trailing after Raelle as the blonde led the way. Within a few minutes they caught sight of the majestic waterfall up ahead. The basin the water ran in to was a deep sinkhole in the ground and the water was crystal clear, allowing them to see in to what looked like a bottomless cavern. 

Raelle squinted up at where the water crashed down from above, bringing a hand up to cover the glare from the sun. “I want to check out the river that feeds it. See if there are any fish.” 

“So let’s go then.” Scylla pressed ahead, looking back to grin at Raelle as the other girl just stood there. Raelle shook her head, snapping out of her daze, and followed her. 

The curtain of water cascading down wasn’t a sheer drop, as the slope of the cliff face was gradual, with the water running down large slabs of jagged rocks that looked like stairs. The rocks were slippery, but the two girls were able to slowly climb their way up the side of the gentle slope. 

Scylla started off ahead, but Raelle was the more athletic of the two and the nimble girl pulled ahead with ease thanks to the muscles she’d developed from a lifetime of swimming and diving. She pulled herself over the top first and reached down to offer Scylla a hand. The other girl gratefully took it.

The river that fed the waterfall was hardly the vast raging body of water Raelle expected to find. It was more like a small stream. “It’s probably fed by a ton of smaller tributaries from further up the mountain.” Scylla explained, making Raelle raise an eyebrow at her. She smirked, blushing under Raelle’s gaze. “I might not watch ‘Survivor’, but I am acing Geography.” 

“How are you doing in Biology?” Raelle asked out of nowhere. Scylla tilted her head to the side. 

“I’m acing that too. Why?”

“Because I could use some tutoring.” Raelle stepped in close to the other girl and wrapped her arms around her waist before she kissed her. 

“Smooth.” Scylla laughed against Raelle’s mouth. “But aren’t we supposed to be looking for fish?” Raelle pulled away with a groan. Scylla was right. They had a job to do, and the morning was creeping by. Soon it would be too hot to hike along the stream.

They followed its path for half a mile, with Raelle scrutinising the water closely. She spotted a variety of eels and a few fresh-water fish, but she had no idea if any of them were edible. As the sun crept closer to the centre of the sky, she called their search off and the two girls headed back to the waterfall to fill up the empty plastic bottles in their packs.

“You know, I think we should move our camp up here.” Raelle said as they finished packing away the last of the bottles. Their packs were ten times heavier than they’d been on the way there, and Raelle had a newfound understanding of just how exhausted Abigail and Libba must have been from carrying them the day before. 

Scylla pulled a face at the suggestion and Raelle quickly elaborated. “We’ll need to come here twice a day to get enough water, we’ll be wasting almost as much as we’re drinking in getting it! Think about it, we move up here and we’ve got water and fish on our doorstep, and… and there're caves over there we could use for shelter, and coconut trees-”

Scylla shook her head. “What is someone flies over the beach looking for us? They could miss us up here. I think we’re better off on the beach, using the plane for shelter.” 

Raelle was torn. She didn’t want to argue with the other girl, but she didn’t agree. They were in the middle of their third day on the island, and there’d been no sign of a rescue. They had to start thinking about their survival long-term. 

“We’ll put it to the others when we get back. Take a vote on it.” She suggested, trying to keep the peace. 

“Okay.” Scylla agreed and Raelle was happy to see it didn’t look like she was going to hold any kind of grudge for Raelle disagreeing with her. 

Raelle finished securing her pack before turning back to Scylla. She was about to suggest they leave the trip back to the beach until later in the afternoon, when the sun was waning, but the words didn’t come out. She knelt by the water’s edge with her mouth hanging open as she watched Scylla shimmy out of her shorts. 

Scylla looked up a moment later and caught Raelle staring at her. A smirk spread over her lips as she pulled her shirt up over her head, giving Raelle a show. “Relax, Collar. I figured we could get in a swim before we head back. It’s way too hot to hike.” 

“Oh…” The word came out as a high squeak and her eyes were glued to Scylla’s curves. The feeble sound brought her to her senses, and she cleared her throat with a nod. “Okay. Sure.” She tried to sound nonchalant to save face, but Scylla was already laughing at her.

The other girl’s laughter fell silent as Raelle stripped down to her bra and underwear. Scylla bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes not so subtly raking over the other girl’s body. She figured it was only fair since Raelle had gotten a good luck at her.

Raelle grinned, her confidence returning thanks to Scylla’s blatant staring. “Like what you see?" 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Folks! I was inspired to write Raylla and the gang on a desert island after watching The Wilds. I hope you enjoyed it and stick around for more - I'm looking to update weekly on Tuesdays!


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